Tuesday, May 1, 2007

A Hard Lesson Learned.

I meant to post about this the other day, it was so amazing.

I was at Goodwill, as I am prone to be when I'm in a toy-hunting mood, and when I got to the toy section, surprise,surprise--there was a kid with a horde of toys spread out all over the floor.Young black girl,probably about 8 or 9.Remember that.
Anyway, I was picking through some items on a top shelf.I found a great little plastic Bratz phone booth. I was messing around with the booth, taking the tiny phone on and off the hook,when suddenly a hand shot up and gripped onto it.
I quickly turned to find this 9--10-year-old kid,old enough to know better then that,holding onto the other end of the phone booth.She very plainly said,"I want dat!"
Without batting an eye and with no regard to humoring "preshus chyldren" I said,"You can't have it.I'm looking at it."
And she, without batting an eye, replied,"But I wanna play wit dat."
I tugged it hard enough to snatch it back from her hand and I said,"That's tough.I'm looking at it.Just because you want something doesn't mean you can just grab it out of someone's hand." And I turned back around to look at stuff on the shelf, with the phone both in my hand.
I didnt really want it, but at that point I felt like just being an ass and keeping it out of her reach.Haha.Deal with it.
I'm sure if her mom would have witnessed the incident she would have said,"Oh, just give it to her! MY child gets what she wants!", as this mode of discipline often breeds the aforementioned behavior.
But the most amazing part of all this was the look on the kid's face for several moments after the first negative response from me.Apparently,telling this child "no" ilicits what I call the "brook trout" look: mouth open, eyes staring, in a total shakedown of disbelief.
She didn't know what hit her.

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