Threatened at local post Office- for taking children! (sorry long)

Dammam

Wig wrote:

"and if you can't do that leave them at home"

I don't want pesky brats making noise around me either. btw I believe you when you say they didn't kick stuff, but they were making noise and being a nuisance. And maybe, just maybe one of them fell over and landed against the door or the display shelves, which he took to be a "kick".

I know exactly what you mean mate. I get constantly irritated by miserable old so and so's in the post office, constantly whingeing about their ailments, going through their purses looking for change and bargeing into queues without a by-your-leave.

However, I'm intelligent enough to realise that we all get old and I should show a little patience and respect. I thought that was a normal reaction, but this employee and yourself seem to prove otherwise.

I remember taking my son into a supermarket - never any trouble before but on this occassion started to bawl and scream at the checkout. The staff were understanding and a lady in the queue, seeing a bloke in distress with a kid, helped out by holding him while I packed and paid. I knew how irritating the noise must have been to other customers and was so grateful that no one made an issue of it and even helped out.

If I'd have been on the receiving end from that post office worker, he (I presume it was a he) would have got a verbal volley the like of which he had never experienced. However, this brave guy saw a woman with 2 young kids and 'bravely' decided to take them on. Bravo, what a hero.

Are there any local mother and toddler groups, parent groups etc you can take your story to? How about the local paper? Best of all, take it to your MP - he's been voted in by you so get him to write an official letter to the branch and to the head office - also a strongly worded letter to the head honchos (is it Alan Leighton & Adam Crozier?) Don't let this one rest - give them hell on behalf of all the harrassed parents out there.

Bargainbabe_2

Look, no one likes to hear a kid screaming and kids that misbehave are irritating. I should know, I have one! My lil boy is well behaved and well mannered most of the time but he has got limited patience and he does get bored very quickly. As much as I try and explain that he needs to behave its rarely any consellation to him.

Let's get real here. Children are actually immature. They simply haven't got the mental capability to act as adults. Why should they? They will have plenty of years to do just that. And they AREN't adults above all. A kid's philosphy is to have fun. It would be morally wrong to try and surpress a child's personality just to stop miserable gits from complaining.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not implying that children should be allowed to run riot in publically confined spaces. But I would appeal to those without children/those who have a problem with children to try and put yourself in the position of the parent.

The "seen and not heard" days are over.

Wig

As a poster above said, it's not difficult to control a 2 year old. i.e. stop them from running around, stop one and the other wouldn't have made as much of a nuisance of himself because they wouldn't have been playing together.

Fran

Wig wrote:

As a poster above said, it's not difficult to control a 2 year old. i.e. stop them from running around, stop one and the other wouldn't have made as much of a nuisance of himself because they wouldn't have been playing together.

This is not the issue raised by the OP though, which is about how she was dealt with by members of post office staff.

Sara, I hope you manage to follow this up successfully, let us know how you get on, there's no excuse for being treated like this.

Wig

It is the cause of the event.

Fran

Wig wrote:

It is the cause of the event.

But you have turned this thread into judging parents with children which is not the issue. If people had a more tolerant attitude and helped with children (who will be responsible for ALL of us when we are old) instead of frowning & ignoring them then the children wouldn't react in the way they do.

lush_walrus

krisskross wrote:

It can be quite dangerous if small children are allowed to run around in a little space. I once fell over a small child that appeared from nowhere. Rather foolishly perhaps I was not looking down but straight ahead at my eye level.The mother thought it was my fault that her child ran between my legs!
My 2 year olds were always on reins outside the house or garden, I controlled where they went, which was never more than a yard from me.
It has to be appreciated that not everyone feels the same way about our children as we do and the instinct to be affronted if we or our children are criticised is very strong. Personally I would chalk it up to everyone having a bad day and forget it.

I have to say I totally agree with you.

Wig

Fran wrote:

But you have turned this thread into judging parents with children which is not the issue. If people had a more tolerant attitude and helped with children (who will be responsible for ALL of us when we are old) instead of frowning & ignoring them then the children wouldn't react in the way they do.

Do you want me to give you 20p..........So you can call someone who cares.

beccatt

I work for a newspaper and if I was contacted by someone with a story like this I would make sure I got a proper explanation out of the PO - in this day and age there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour towards customers. Sadly, I find that press offices usually have a different, more grovelling attitude to customer services so if people take that extra step through the paper they will get more joy.

If you're so inclined, give your local paper a call and see if they will take it up - they will want to get a full account of what happened, use your name, the vague area where you come from and a photo of you and your kids.
I think what you get out of it is the knowledge that you will have made other people aware of what a dirtbag that manager is (paper won't be able to name him personally but could name the post office branch where it happened). Hopefully it will shut him up in future or stop someone else experiencing the same kind of public humiliation for no reason.
If you do manage to get the CCTV footage, all the better from the article's point of view, but I've never heard of anyone actually managing to get footage.

HTH

Silent_Bob_3

Wig wrote:

Do you want me to give you 20p..........So you can call someone who cares.

Wow, you must be fun to live with.

And if you don't like "pesky brats" you can't go out the house much or if you do you must be in a permanent bad mood.