"There's so much negativity in the world, we decided to avoid the use of negative words with our children.", the shorter woman said to the taller. The look of utter disbelief on the taller friend's face almost made me burst out laughing. Having always been the kind of person who likes to people-watch, and this was obviously going to be an entertaining exchange, I decided to see what transpired between these two women.
"I'm sorry, what?" was the taller woman's reply to the other woman's child-rearing philosophy.
"We only want to encourage good feelings, so we never use any language which creates a negative environment." the shorter woman said.
There was a slight pause as the two women stepped out of the way of an elderly woman who was looking at handbags.
As the elderly woman moved on, the taller woman asked "Soooooo, if Kimmie grabs the butcher knife from you while you are slicing food, you don't tell her to stop because it's dangerous and she could hurt herself?".
"Oh heavens no! There are much better ways of instructing her than using negative words and emotions.", she said.
The two women continued their conversation as I picked up a wallet every now and again so I at least appeared to be shopping instead of eavesdropping. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the child, Kimmie, who was the center of their conversation.
Little Kimmie caught my glance and a mischievous grin came across her face. Having children myself, I recognized that look and knew that nothing good could come from it and I braced myself for what was bound to come next.
I overheard the taller woman ask "How exactly is she supposed to learn how to handle being told "no" in school, or even the real world, if she's not introduced to it at home first?".
The shorter woman replied "We don't tell her no, we just redirect her to something she can play with. We figure Kimmie can figure out how to deal with the ugliness of the world later on in life when that time comes. We think children should be allowed to be care-free and not bound by society's rules............".
As Kimmie's mother spoke, little Kimmie spun on her heel and ran like a linebacker at a bank of tall rounders full of jewelry.
The crashing noise of the destruction she wrought upon those plastic and wood rounders was deafening. Earrings flew everywhere. Necklaces were a tangled mess on the floor and looked very much like a commercial fishing net. Bracelets rolled across the highly glossed marble floors, causing store personnel to dodge them as they came at a run to see who might have been injured in the "accident".
As store personnel quickly arrived, they saw Kimmie tossing jewelry everywhere. A manager quickly got past their shock and asked loudly who the child's parent or guardian was. I saw the taller woman quickly back away from her acquaintance while pointing to the woman stating "That's her mother".
Store security quickly helped Kimmie to her feet from where she was trying to swim in the pile of jewelry. They started assessing the damage and directing the department personnel to add up the cost of all the damaged items. The taller woman said to Kimmie's mother "Hmmm, I do believe your daughter is about to get a lesson in the real world's version of the word "no". I hope you've got deep pockets.".
I'm pretty sure that despite the destruction Kimmie wrought on the store that day, she still has a bright future in front of her. She should do great as either an MMA fighter or maybe even with the Roller Derby. Heck, she has already created a great stage name for herself: Kimmie the Krusher.
Written by Christie Bielss
