What Not To Do In A Parking Lot

Yesterday, while waiting around for my BFF to arrive at our lunch-time meeting place, I witnessed something. I'm pretty sure this person saw me, as I was sitting in my car, easily visible, listening to the radio.

A large pickup truck parked a few spaces away from me, and the way the parking lot was made I was perpendicular to them, so I saw everything. Even the diaper change. Well, not all of it, but I figured that's what Mr. Daddy was doing. After parking, Mr. Daddy and Mrs. Mommy got out, and let out their 4 year old and 2 year old. I'm guessing on ages, here, but I'm pretty sure I'm close. Mrs. Mommy is on her cell phone and Mr. Daddy needs to change the youngest of the brood, who's probably barely a year old. While Mr. Daddy is grabbing the diaper bag and all that he needs, Mrs. Mommy has her cell phone practically glued to her ear.

I notice the oldest kid, the 4 year old, running around the little "island" between parked cars, and nearly runs into the aisle where cars could hit him. Mrs. Mommy is still not seeing this.  Eventually, she goes to stand on the island, and the oldest kid finds a Burlington Coat Factory cart half up on the curb of the island and half taking up a parking space. This kid proceeds to try and move the cart and instead, drops his sippy cup into the cart. Naturally, he is about 3 feet too short to reach in and grab it. Eventually Mrs. Mommy sees what happened and goes over to grab the sippy cup and put in the bag. The kid is now enthralled with this cart, and moving it. His little brother wants to play, too, so he starts climbing all over the cart. Big brother decides little brother is a bother, and tries to yank him off the cart. Little brother takes  a fall and starts crying while big brother goes to the other end of the cart to try to move it again. Where's Mrs. Mommy? Still talking her damn cell phone.

After awhile, big brother finally shakes the cart loose, and little brother is upset that his new climbing toy is now moving away from him. Big brother walks backwards with the cart, but doesn't pay attention to where he's going and hits the nice car parked next Mr. Daddy's nice big pickup truck. Several times.

Mrs. Mommy finally sees what is happening and says something to big brother, only he just lets go of the cart so it rolls right smack into the strangers car. Mrs. Mommy finally hauls the cart to it's original resting space. Still on the phone. During all of this, Mr. Daddy is changing the youngest kids diaper. Seriously, Mr. Daddy had to keep going to the other side of the truck to get stuff. I don't know what that kid did in his diaper but it took at least a good 10 to 15 minutes until he dragged the little out of the truck and carried him into the restaurant.

Since the cart is no longer a toy, big brother decides he's going to play hide and seek with himself in the bushes on the island. Little brother wants to join, but he's not fast enough to hid as quickly as big brother. So, little brother just runs around in circles until Mrs. Mommy decides she can't handle it, and picks him up. She's still on the damn phone.

Now, I'm sure there's a time and a place for whatever that phone call was about, but when your kids are running amok in a parking lot - a very busy parking lot - I would think that you would actually pay attention to your children so they don't die. Mrs. Mommy didn't get off the phone until Mr. Daddy was done changing diaper on the youngest. I wanted to leave a note on the car next to their truck that mentioned the folks that owned the nice big pickup truck let their kids bang a shopping cart into it and here's their info if there's any damage.

Seriously, folks. Is that fucking hard to pay attention to your kids? Was somebody else's drama more important that disciplining your children so they don't bang shopping carts into other people's property? I mean, when big brother dropped his sippy cup into the cart, neither parent was actually visible to me. Their kids were running around on a parking island at lunch time. I understand that Mr. Daddy was busy with a diaper issue. But did Mrs. Mommy really have to be on her cell phone the entire time?

Pull your head out of your ass and pay attention to your children. You really don't want to have explain to the cops that the reason your son caused a 1o car pile up and is en route to the ER is because you were busy talking to Muffy about her boy troubles.