22 January 2014

Overheard: Parental Responsibility Edition

At the auto show on Monday, the Volvo display was one of the only areas on the show floor with any seating (aside from sitting in the cars themselves). A group of cream-colored leather couches (possibly Swedish, probably not from IKEA) was arranged in a rectangle, and a couple of families were taking a break there.

As we passed by, a young boy of perhaps four jumped up from sitting alongside his parents and started walking across the seating surface of one of the sofas. I didn't see the reaction of either parent, but the mother called the child's name several times, scoldingly but with little sense of threat or consequence behind it, in a vain attempt to get him to stop.

I then heard her say, perhaps to her husband, another parent, or possibly even to herself, "This is why we don't have white furniture at home." I couldn't help myself: we weren't that close, but loudly enough so that it was within the realm of possibility that the parents heard me, I said to my friend, "This is why I don't have children."

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I think if you DID have children (or were with your Godson) you'd tell him in no uncertain terms to Get Off the Couch! You do this early on, the kid doesn't walk on any couch. I still wouldn't buy a white couch tho... White couches remind me of those living rooms with the plastic coverings on them. You don't actually live in them.

Some Assembly Required said...

Absolutely. No hypothetical child of mine would even think about doing what I saw that kid doing...

A Proper Bostonian said...

Any hypothetical child of yours would have been too interested in the cars to go near the sofas.