Comments on: middle finger right back atcha, twerp

By: kristaly

kristaly — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:18:59 +0000

Do you think it’s possible that That Kid’s mom doesn’t know? If my daughter was bullying other kids or throwing out racist crap, I’d want to know. Because she’d never leave the house again till she cut that sh** out.

By: jodi

jodi — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:03:26 +0000

My kids seem to be magnets for “those kids…” My oldest has a friend that we can’t get rid of. He calls ALL OF THE DAMN TIME. On my cell phone. While I am at work. And I say “Johnnie, I am at work. This is my cell phone.” and then? He calls again the next day. I usually let it go to voice mail, but that little fucker is on to me and just calls back, blowing up my phone! Once, after one of his visits, we had to take the oldest to the ER to have x-rays on his hand. I used to try to teach him manners, but have long since abandoned that cause and just swear under my breath at him.

My youngest seems to have befriended the neighbor kid who can’t sit still and asks a thousand questions…and doesn’t listen to the answers…and when my kid has to go in for dinner, he offers to wait right on the porch for him to finish, which really means he peers in the window at us. Awesome!

So…sorry about “THAT KID” but you are so not alone!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:02:35 +0000

I used to “talk to the mom”, because that seems like the most honest and reasonable thing to do. But it has usually backfired on me. And then in some shape or form, has been taken out on my kid. So now I just usually continue to let my own children know my concerns, without coming across as too judgmental because that makes “THAT KID” more enticing….At age 6, you have a LITTLE more control in who he hangs out with when not at school. I do think that eventually, the natural consequences of their racist, obnoxious behavior gives them a reality dose. Someone will call him on his shit. Even though it will suck for your child when it happens, it has always been the best teacher in my household. It just means more sleepless nights for me!!! Good luck.

By: [mark]

[mark] — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:09:03 +0000

as a product of 13 years of catholic school, i had LOADS of experience with “That Kid” – the ones that were sent to catholic school to “straighten them out”. it’s everywhere. you are CERTAINLY not the only one going through this. just keep your head on straight, and when little man gets out of line (which, i’m sure you know, he WILL do, with or without That Kid’s influence), you pop him back into place.

i am again speaking from personal experience on the kid end, not the parent end., but
the WORST thing you could do is to try and “forbid” him to hang out with That Kid.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:53:37 +0000

My daughter started pre-K last week, and already her “best” friend is a little girl who says that if T doesn’t play the games she wants she can’t come to D’s birthday party/D won’t be her friend. And if I suggest that she play with another kid for a while, she says, “No! I want to play with D!” I have no idea if it’s That Kid proportions, but I hope it’s not the beginning of my kid being attracted to That Kid types.

So no, you’re far from alone.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:01:47 +0000

(Ugh – was that patronizing? Sorry.)

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:00:35 +0000

Well, you know me, I’ve got no kids over here, so I can’t offer much advice. What I can offer, though, is perhaps a little perspective? Don’t forget that your kid has absolutely no sense of the cultural or moral significance of what he’s doing. As far as he’s concerned, he’s just copycatting something that probably sounds funny to his ears and made other kids crack up. You seem like a radical mom, so I’ve no doubt that you already talk to him about cultural diversity and tolerance… I’d say just keep it up, and maybe try to compare what he’s doing and how it might hurt others to a time when he also had his feelings hurt in the same kind of way.

When I was about six, I was mocking the way deaf people talk with a friend when a neighbour overheard and blew his stack. I remember feeling really ashamed and embarrassed, and while I wouldn’t recommend the blow-up route, I can tell you that it sank in that day that deaf people, uh, actually had feelings like me. And look how great I turned out!

By: alison

alison — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:28:41 +0000

I’ve got one of those too. Thankfully, he’s not in my stepson’s class and he’s afraid of my dog, so we’ve managed to keep him away for a little while now. It also doesn’t hurt that the kid’s parents seem to dislike us back.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:20:10 +0000

We have a few That Kids in our neighborhood, fortunately all boys with whom Eva wants nothing to do with.

And I can tell you, no, you can be ANY age and be a jerkwad. These kids are all brothers, and they’re about 2, 5 and 7, and the 5 year old is the WORST. The mom’s this ditzy ass blonde who never owns up to her kids bad behavior. The 7 year old is in Eva’s class, and we’ve made it perfectly clear that if she HAS to be paired with him or be on a team with him in gym or something, that’s fine, but we’re not hanging around them. She’s fine with that because the 7 year old one time pushed her around and the 5 year old try to kill her with a loaf of bread.

Good luck. So far, her friends are all pretty decent kids. The one girl is a bit of a whiner, a poor listener at times and can be a bit disrespectful to her parents (not me), and it sort of rubs off on Eva when she’s with her and she acts like that, but unlike the girl’s mother, I give Eva the steely mom eye and tell her to watch her mouth, and it has the desired effect I need and she shapes back up quickly. But Eva really is a pretty good kid, as it rolls.

By: kim

kim — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:27:05 +0000

You are not alone and it can start even earlier than six. Last year my son’s class of two year olds had one little girl I can’t stand. It could be due to her attempt to remove my infant daughter’s leg at a potluck. I find her dad pretty offensive too, perhaps due to his lecturing me that I bought a crappy minivan. Then there was the weeknight birthday party invitation to a sketchy area with the party starting at the time my son goes to bed. At least we had an excuse to skip it!

I was so hoping she would not be in his class again this year, but she is, of course.