This is only one of the things making me bite through my lip

[nny]

You know what I really hate? Parents who make themselves feel bigger by displaying the power that they have over their children. It's infuriating. People who wait until they're in a public space, a bus or a supermarket or a crowded street, and use that theater to stage an argument in which they can demonstrably win and therefore people will be impressed by their stature in society. UGH.

My life is actually filled, right now, with examples of UR DOIN IT RONG. Painfully, miserably, stress-inducingly filled, and I don't have an appropriate forum to vent my anger - much as I love you, capslock ain't gonna cut it - so I'm trying to just isolate myself until it goes away, for fear of upsetting someone who cannot take the upset. So I am sorry if I am not meeting your emotional needs at present, I will get back to you when I can type without breaking the keyboard against my fingers, or breaking my fingers against the keyboard.

I'm kind of trying to renegotiate my life around myself at the moment, re-order my space, and I'm not sure how that's going to work or where I'm going to end up with it. There are a lot of things I need to figure out and change and move around, re-prioritising for the not so much win as lack of complete fail, but right now I can't see the wood for the HAZE OF BLINDING RAGE.

So.

Comments

[the-drifter.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. EXACTLY. I did youth work for about ten straight years, and there have been parents I just wanted to punch, or shake until they rattled. And there is no obvious way to take them on -- it's not your place, you can't be sure they won't take it out on their children afterward, and even if you did call them out and win the interaction, you'd only be validating their behavior by using the same tactics to your own ends.

If you don't have friend who do/have done similar work, you're always welcome to send me a venting email, because I've been there and I know what it's like, and sometimes the most cathartic way to process is spend ten minutes ranting to someone else who'll get it.

[winkingstar.livejournal.com]

*sidles up and hugs you stealthily*

[villainny.livejournal.com]

I seriously appreciate it, thank you.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

*squishes you back*

Thanks.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Just a tiny little tale for you. When I first started working at the zoo here (I don't any more but that's a different story), I used to think a ritual sacrifice of the most ill-mannered child every day at noon at the Kodiak bear exhibit would be in order.

But then after a few months I realized how wrong I was. It needed to be a ritual sacrifice of the most ill-behaved parent.

[soupytwist.livejournal.com]

Oh, honey, so much sympathy. :( Some of the parents/non-related-carers at work drive me batty too; it is so sad and frustrating and angry-making when you know how toxic and awful some of this shit is and omg you want to yell and maybe hit things and MAKE them know it too, but they won't, unless they work it out themselves. It sucks. :(

I heart you, and good luck. *hugs tight*

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

<3

[batyatoon]

SERIOUSLY. This infuriates me so much.

And I always want to say something comforting or supportive to the kid -- "Honey, you're not doing anything wrong, your mother's just psychotic" or "I know she said you were bothering everybody on the train, but you weren't bothering me at all" or similar. But if I did that I would be deliberately undermining the parental authority, and I'm not going to do that unless a parent is being outright abusive instead of just obnoxious.

But ugh. UGH. FAIL, PEOPLE.