Let's Stop with the Rude.

As a parent, I am so afraid of my children getting their feelings hurt by other kids.  I know its going to happen and I'm sure my kids will return the favor at some point whether it is on purpose or not.  That being said, I want to share a little story with you.

This morning Allyson, Cooper and I were headed to see a movie.  The movie was sold out so we decided to head to the park.  As Summer is upon us, the park was filled with a large group of kids attending a summer camp.  My kids melted right into the mass chaos that is a normal playground area.  Cooper is 3 years old, so I like to stay close to where he is.  He is all boy and is likely to jump off of something an hurt himself or some unsuspecting child, so I stand near by to make sure no one gets hurt.  I am sure that is the only reason why I heard another kid say words to my son that hurt my feelings.  MY FEELINGS got hurt here.  If Cooper was old enough to understand what this kid was actually saying to him, I am afraid he would have pummeled him just for being rude.

"You're really fat."

This other kid couldn't have been older than 6 years old.  I'm sure you know by now that Allyson is six.  She has finished her first year of Kindergarten and I'm sure she doesn't go around telling kids bigger than her that they are fat.  This little boy however thought it necessary to tell my 3 year old son that he is "really fat."  Uncalled For.  Simply Uncalled For.   I said "What?" and the kid repeated his words but said them directly to me.  "He is really fat."  I replied back with "That is not very nice." and the kid ran off.

C'mon now.  How rude can little kids be!!!?  I know that when you are that young you may not have a filter built in, but if you think about it...... He had to learn those words from someone.  Did he learn them from another kid on the playground?  Did he learn them from a sibling?  Did he learn them from a parent?  He learned them somewhere and if my son was a little older he may have really been upset that this little boy chose to be rude to him.  Playgrounds should be a place to have fun, blow off some energy and make happy memories.  I'm just happy that today both of my children left with smiles and happy memories.  

If you are teaching your children rude things or speaking to other humans like this, I urge you to think twice.  We are molding our future.  Do you want your children to get their feelings hurt by someone smarter, skinnier, or simply better at something?  It's not a competition... It's our lives.