Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Growing Up.

Blessings, Darlings!

I just had an interesting little interaction on Twitter.  One of the folks I follow tweeted that she wanted parents to not let their children call stores to ask questions (about their hours, if they carry certain items, etc). She, as an employee, didn't like to take such calls.  Rather than saying "fuck you, they are your CUSTOMERS, take their calls and do it with respect", I asked how she expected anyone to learn how to make such calls without, well, making them?  She told me she expects parents to handle all that until the kids are teens. 

Just ...wow.  Now we're going to have totally screwed up teens, who don't even know how to make a simple phone call to a store to ask about products/hours.  Just because an employee doesn't want to do their job and help customers.

By the time my spawn was a teen I expected him to have PERFECTED the skill of using a telephone.  And mowing the lawn. And doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, etc.  But now someone expects me to parent HER and protect HER as an adult from doing HER job, and thinks I should RETARD my own children.

Nope.  Not gonna happen.  I expect MY children to grow up.  And I expect all people interacting with customers to grow up, too.

Frondly, Fern

8 comments:

  1. Coincidentally, StomperNet tweeted this today:

    StomperNet
    Make others feel POSITIVE when they hear or see your business brand. It takes work, but it’s well worth the time and effort.

    Seriously, speaking as an BUSINESS OWNER - I'd fire any employee who said they didn't want ANY one of my clients to call and ask questions of them.

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  2. I find this crazy!
    I'm 16 and I've been calling to ask about hours and if they have something in the store for a very long time.
    I'd like someone to tell me they don't want me to call their store, I'd rip them a new one!

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  3. Oh, she'd 'let' you call now that you're a teen. But I'm relative sure that if a 13 year old called and was awkward at asking - since it would be his/her FIRST TIME making such a call - she'd be equally contemptuous of that person for not already being used to doing it.

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  4. Thanks for this. I had seen the interaction and, as the mother of a 16 yr old, I couldn't imagine not having honed those sort of social skills in her at an early age.

    Yet it isn't the first time I see people complaining in the vein of children should not be seen or heard in retail venues. Kind of sad. They expect them to act like perfect adults and yet never seem to accept to mature and grow up, they have to have experience.

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  5. Yes! thank you for this post and thank you to all who are giving it such a positive response. So many adults are complaining about teen behaviour these days but fail to teach those same teen show to interact in a positive way. Instead of encouraging those first awkward steps towards adulthood, too many adults are, as you say "retarding" their children.
    Thank you again for not only not being such a person but having the moral courage to speak out and call it wrong.

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  6. Ignorant cow. They need to start early in order to learn the appropriate social skills. If we're getting a few bits in the corner shop, or if we're in a bigger shop that's not busy, I'll give my 3 1/2 year old the money to pay for our purchases, and I prompt her to say 'Thank you' when they give her the receipt. In a few years' time, I would expect her to making the phone calls for times, etc., and not have an issue with it.

    People can't figure out why teenagers are rude and have the manners and social skills of Neanderthals. It's because they weren't taught sooner.

    Mel

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  7. I completely agree! When the phone rings at home (with caller id) or my cell phone I let my daughter,4, answer the phone. I know parents who taught their older kid ate early ages the proper social skills and manner and seen what happens when they relax those rules for the younger sibling and it is night and day. Kids who cant leave the house, open their own bank accounts or go the store for simple things bnecause they catered them their whole life...smh..sad

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