Recessed door knobs

[DerbyDad03]

Take the door off and hang it upside down for a while.

[Stormin Mormon]

A generation or so ago, we used to say "Children should be seen, but not heard". I think there is some wisdom to that. I also love kids, but preferably quiet ones who play nicely and don't run about and swing their arms over their heads.

[The Daring Dufas]

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Back in the late 80's I had a little buddy named Wayne who lived next door, he was 3 years old and his parents would give him caffeinated soft drinks so this little critter was outside on his big wheel at 3am all the time. Do you have any idea what a big wheel sounds like on a concrete sidewalk at three in the morning? It sounds kind of like a small cement mixer full of gravel. Anyway, one day I went over to visit his parents and the little perpetual motion machine was running along the top of the furniture, bouncing off the walls and yanking everyone's hair, etc. I finally snatched him up and put him in my lap wrapping my arms around him so he couldn't get away. In a my deepest monster voice I said "I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!" he cried, Pleeeeez don't eat me, I'll be good, I'll be nice!" I said "NO, I'M GOING TO EAT YOU, MUHAHAHAHAH!" I let him go and he ran over to a chair, sat still and didn't move. Everyone there exclaimed "Damn! How did you do that?" I said it was a gift. After that, every time I came by, my little buddy would offer me cookies or chips while saying, "Here, eat this, it's better than me." I later found out that his parents were using the threat of me eating him to make him behave. The poor little guy was terrified of me. I couldn't have that so the next time I saw him, I picked him up, gave him a hug and told him I wasn't going to hurt him I was just kidding. The little monster yanked my beard punched me in the gut and went back to bouncing off the walls like a normal three year old boy. Ah, little kids.

TDD

[aemeijers]

There should be a license to to reproduce, but there isn't anyone I would trust to give the exam and make that call. But sadly, a lot of parents should not be. Not evil, just incompetent like the ones you describe. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, that was one of the virtues of the old days with large extended families living in the same area for many or most people. It gave everyone training as they grew up on how to handle little kids. Not perfect, of course, but it couldn't be worse than the clueless parents I see so much of today.

For the record, I have no problem with little kids running around screaming and bouncing off of things, even with their arms up like orangutans. That is their job, and the arms are for balance. But they need to be doing it outside, and doing it enough so they are tuckered out by the time they come inside. Little kids don't get enough outside time these days.

-- aem (get offa my lawn) sends....

-- aem sends...

[The Daring Dufas]

My mother went through ten pregnancies in twenty years, then went and got a PhD in psychology. They finally figured out what was causing it so Dad took her down to the hospital and got her spayed.

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

Don't know how true it is. but I heard of one kid in a Batman costume who was making life miserable for some folks on a long air plane flight. Yelling "Badda badda bat.... MAN!" and so on. Finally the first officer had a chat with the kid, who went back to his seat and didn't run around yelling any more. The pilot asked what had happened. First officer replied that he'd told the kid he was Joker in costume, and if he didn't settle down, he was going to throw Batman off the air plane.

You might have called the cops or CPS if he's out at 3 AM on the sidewalk. Not likely that his parents are watching from the window, and he could have been kidnapped. Like on the Dennis the Menace movie, he likely would have exhausted his kidnappers, and they would have brought him back.