“Their Free Childcare”: Store Employee Finds A Genius Way To Make Parents Control Their Kids

Parenting is a tough job, there is no denying that. However, some parents have a sort of “free range” mentality, where they are content to allow their kids to do whatever they want, regardless of other’s comfort, or, worse, the child’s own safety. Sometimes people need to learn the hard way that, actually, children can’t just treat any environment as a playground.

A netizen shared their plot to keep a mom’s wild pack of children from running around a hardware store. We reached out to the person who made the post and will update the article when they get back to us.

Loud children running around in a workspace is a problem

Worker in a denim shirt and apron stands with arms crossed, conveying a thoughtful expression.

Image credits:  winnievinzence/Envato (not the actual photo)

So one hardware store employee decided to hatch a scheme

Text about kids in stores and potential hazards with fragile items like glass.

Text describing why children shouldn't run around store aisles.

Text discussing worker's encounter with unsupervised kids in store, highlighting safety concerns related to broken glass.

Text block discussing customer service and managing kids in a store.

Kids in a store looking at toys on shelves, with a boy smiling and a girl observing in a pink dress.

Image credits: NomadSoul1/Envato (not the actual photo)

Text image with message about cleaning broken glass in a store aisle.

Text about a mom realizing the dangers of kids running in a store, influenced by a worker's comment on broken glass.

Image credits: Mellowodds

There really isn’t a generally agreed upon parenting strategy out there

Crying child with messy hair, highlighting store safety concerns.

Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

“Parenting styles” is one of those loaded topics where it’s quite easy to spark an argument. After all, on the one hand, people should be allowed to raise their children the way they see fit. On the other hand, some folks’ parenting style is, basically, a lack of parenting at all. Some adults are just lazy, while others simply do not know how to handle a kid.

Experts list “appeasement” parenting as one of the more dysfunctional styles out there, as it essentially enables the kids to do whatever they want and throw tantrums to blackmail their parents into giving in. Some might argue that it’s “healthy” for a child to be free to make their own choices and mistakes, but the middle of a store full of breakable and, more importantly, sharp objects isn’t it.

It is probably a stretch to ascribe this woman’s actions to some sort of “parenting plan” as she just seems lazy and entitled. After all, just unleashing four kids to charge around a store seems more like a “lack of a plan” than a real strategy. As the person who shared the story noted, it’s very possible that this mom was perfectly willing to outsource her parenting duties to random workers.

That speaks to a reasonable degree of entitlement, since “picking up after yourself” is normal social behavior. There are some nuances, for example a crying baby, while annoying, isn’t necessarily the fault of the parent, it’s just the main way babies let the world know that they aren’t happy with something. Children who can run, however, do need to be managed.

“Negligence” isn’t a parenting strategy

Mother and child wearing masks in a store aisle, with a green shopping basket on the floor near them.

Image credits: sedrik2007/Envato (not the actual photo)

However, there is a reasonable chance that this mom has decided that “managing” her own kids is really just a bridge too far. She might even be one of those “it takes a village” folks who sees the wider world as sharing her responsibility to parent her own children. Her offspring running isn’t just annoying, remember, they are putting themselves at risk and are potentially moments away from destroying property.

In this regard, the person who posted the story ultimately had the right idea. Directly confronting the woman was a trap, she would simply complain, yell, perhaps even summon a manager. The better option was to use a bit of guile. There, of course, was a chance that this mom is so negligent that even broken glass wouldn’t make her intervene, thankful, that was not the case here.

All’s well that ends well, nothing was broken, the kids are ok and, if we are being optimistic, the mother might think twice next time there is a situation like this. At the very least, this worker didn’t have to deal with cleaning up a mess or worse, because four kids charging around a store like cannonballs is a recipe for disaster.

Many people agreed with their methods

Reddit comments about museum etiquette, discussing kids running around and touching exhibits.

Text exchange about kids running in stores, with a suggestion about using leashes.

Comment discussing risks of kids running in stores and store liability.

Comment comparing kids and fireworks to the risk of broken glass in stores.

Comment discussing kids running around a store, highlighting parental responsibility.

Reddit comment about a coworker's encounter with a child running in a store, discussing parental supervision.

Text about kids running wild in stores, posing safety risks at Big Mart.

Text from a user humorously confusing "children" with "chicken" while reading.

Comment by ForkliftGirl404: "Brilliant. Well done OP.

Reddit comment questioning if mom was worried kids broke glass while running in store.

Text about the danger of kids running around in restaurants with hot plates nearby.

Comment on why children shouldn't run in stores, mentioning raising a knee to chest level.

Comment discussing experiences of dealing with children in stores.

Text discussing why children should not run around stores, citing safety and liability concerns.

Text conversation discussing kids running in a store, mentioning calling the police.

Reddit comment discussing behavior change and pain as a teacher.

Text explaining a mom's realization about kids running in stores, mentioning broken glass and safety concerns.

Text exchange discussing kids running in stores and the risks involved.

Comment discussing unsupervised kids at Disney theme parks, comparing costs of annual passes and child care.

Text from a user explaining why their mom made them walk carefully in stores, hinting at avoiding broken glass.

Text image discussing kids' safety in stores and ensuring parents hold onto carts to prevent issues.

Reddit comment discussing a broken display in a store aisle and the reaction to finding a child's guardian.

Comment about uncontrolled children in stores: "Free roaming children will be given candy and caffeine.

Text about a mall worker explaining why kids shouldn't roam, mentions calling mall security.

Reddit comment discussing an incident involving a kid tipping a shopping cart in a store.

Comment by Dranask: "I'll raise a glass to that, it's brilliant," about kids running in stores.

Text discussing a mom realizing the dangers for kids running around a fabric store due to scissors displays.

Text conversation about broken glass and concerns over children's safety in a store.

Text comment about kids running in stores and causing accidents.

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