I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Except in the case of some ridiculous parents who are screaming because of ice cream. In fact, some mothers are so irate about the ice cream man trying to sell a treat to their little darlings, they are working to have the evil vendors done away with completely.
New York city mother, Vicki Sell, is leading the charge to get unlicensed ice cream vendors kicked out of Harmony Playground in Brooklyn. Now, lest you think she is a just a concerned citizen who is doing it merely out of a sense of moral obligation, the legality issue has nothing to do with it. She is equally "irate" (her word) about the licensed vendors like Mr. Softee, but has no ground to stand on when it comes to getting them booted from the area, so she is focused on getting the unlicensed ones removed instead.
"It's really predatory of them..." she says of the vendors selling frozen treats in the park. Yes, how terrible that someone might try to sell a lemon icy to a child in a playground. The nerve! How can anyone come out of this situation unscathed?!
Rachael Reiley, another distraught mother agrees: "As a new mother people coach you on potty training and what to feed your child. But the ice cream truck, nobody ever mentions that."
Well, allow me to offer some "coaching" to Ms. Reiley and her idiot counterparts. When confronted with this situation, here is what to do... ready? Okay, here it is: say "no".
Gasp, choke, swoon...
Still there? Did I lose you?
Really, that's all it takes. Just a firm "no". If your child throws a fit you can threaten him: "If you don't stop crying right now, we will go home", or "If you don't stop this instant you will lose your (fill in the blank with favorite toy or privilege)". Take your pick. But do not give in to the begging or the "it's not fair" speeches. And don't blame the problem on the ice cream guy. Ice cream is not the problem.
Wimpy parenting is.
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4 comments:
When my kids want something I ask, "And where's your money?" Oh. Now when they have a friend with them and they ask Hannah says, you have to work and earn money and then you can buy things with it. So nice, and better yet, no whining, atleast for a second. ;) Being a mean mom ain't always mean, it's actually great. Plus, get rid of ice cream. What are the mom's going to do?
Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie. When you only have one child you can't possibly understand. You are damaging Micheal's self esteem by saying no to ice cream. Also when you got mad at him for chucking toys out your 19th floor apartment window, that was worse.
It is seriously the ice cream man's fault. All his.
Kick them out and send them to me. there are no ice cream men around here.
It took consistent parenting (oooh, another problem for wimpy parents), but now Colter knows to not even ask.
We also told him why we said no. He now knows that the ice cream from the turk is over-priced. He actually laughs sometimes when he sees the neighborhood kids buying ice cream from the truck. He then turns to us and asks for ice cream from our freezer. Smart kid.
Oooh, I love the ice cream truck! I can't wait for my kids to have the chance to buy one once a week in the summer or something. Even if it is pricier, it's just fun! But only when I say they can...why can't parents just realize THEY are the parents and can set the rules?! And stick to them.
My mom has a quote on her fridge, has had it forever, that the first commenter reminded me of: "The best way to make life difficult for your children is to make it too easy for them." Being a 'mean' mom is not always being mean. It's necessary and beneficial! Suck it up, people, and actually PARENT!
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