Saturday, April 2, 2011

I was at an art gallery this afternoon checking out an exhibition. The gallery owner has a two year old kid who was running around like a child possessed. I don't know what the etiquette is about telling off other people's children for misbehaving but figured it probably wouldn't be a good idea, given how much the gallery owner was praising her child. So...when the kid started to pull apart one of the sculptures in the gallery, I pretended not to notice. The gallery owner eventually saw what was happening and ran over to pick up the child (who was proudly displaying the torn off fragments to his mum). There was no smack. No scolding. She simply took the child to her office. Meanwhile, the gallery manager rushes over to the sculpture and lets out a gasp (the kind of gasp that only a gay man can pull off...very theatrical). He quickly picks up the fragments and discreetly brings them back to his desk (no doubt to try to glue back later...after all, the sculpture had already been sold – for quite princely sum too).

5 comments:

Victor said...

It is venturing into dangerous territory to berate another person's child about their behaviour no matter how much they might deserve it.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I knew a woman who owned a dress shop. She would pinch kids who were misbehaving in her shop. She said they never cried but just looked shocked. Now, someone should write a book about disciplining other parents children.....ah, they have, with a tv show coming too.

Ann ODyne said...

christos tsiolkas The Slap.

People, unfortunately, do not have to qualify as proficient parenters before breeding.
Badly behaved children grow into badly behaved adults, and we've all endured them.

Adaptive Radiation said...

Victor: Yes...it's hard to know what to do in these circumstances.

Andrew: I like the woman's strategy. Risky though.

Ann: I have to read The Slap. I agree...bad children may well grow up to be be bad adults.