Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Just about the worst example I've ever seen this afternoon.
I got there about 10 to 4 for the Carbao Cup Final, me and a mate meeting up for the game. A very bored little girl, looked about 6, was laid out on one of the sofas. A younger brother, looked about 4, equally bored, romping around trying to be controlled by dad. The mum is there, with a baby over her shoulder, around a year old.
The game starts, and lets say its very 'lively' in there. The volume is pumped right up, there's (natch) a barful of total plastics hollering at every incident. The little girl by now is laid down, on her back covering her ears, mouthing something to herself. She did this for probably about half an hour. Dad has by now got the small baby at the bar. He is shouting - SHOUTING at the top of his voice at anything thats going on on the telly. Now mum is whirling arms around, "LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL". Kids left to their own devices, aside from the baby. It was genuinely deafening in there, I actually wished I hadn't bothered.
They stayed till the bitter end. ET and pens, getting louder and louder. Those poor kids - they were there before I arrived at 4pm, and they were still stuck there when I left at 8 after the pens with a pair of half-cut parents. Now I'm not saying I never took my two down the pub of a Sunday afternoon when they were little, but it was usually when the dinner was in the oven to get back for, certainly not for a 3-4 hour bender in front of the football.
I'm not one to be "judgy", but the conversation in the gents with a couple of blokes was "WTF are those two doing ?", so it was very much being noticed. I was tempted to mutter "great parenting" on my way out, but what would be the point ? I'd only have got a gobfull, maybe a headbutt.
I don't think I've ever seen a more selfish example of woeful parenting. I'm left feeling annoyed I didn't say or do anything...but I just can't see what it would have achieved.
I got there about 10 to 4 for the Carbao Cup Final, me and a mate meeting up for the game. A very bored little girl, looked about 6, was laid out on one of the sofas. A younger brother, looked about 4, equally bored, romping around trying to be controlled by dad. The mum is there, with a baby over her shoulder, around a year old.
The game starts, and lets say its very 'lively' in there. The volume is pumped right up, there's (natch) a barful of total plastics hollering at every incident. The little girl by now is laid down, on her back covering her ears, mouthing something to herself. She did this for probably about half an hour. Dad has by now got the small baby at the bar. He is shouting - SHOUTING at the top of his voice at anything thats going on on the telly. Now mum is whirling arms around, "LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL". Kids left to their own devices, aside from the baby. It was genuinely deafening in there, I actually wished I hadn't bothered.
They stayed till the bitter end. ET and pens, getting louder and louder. Those poor kids - they were there before I arrived at 4pm, and they were still stuck there when I left at 8 after the pens with a pair of half-cut parents. Now I'm not saying I never took my two down the pub of a Sunday afternoon when they were little, but it was usually when the dinner was in the oven to get back for, certainly not for a 3-4 hour bender in front of the football.
I'm not one to be "judgy", but the conversation in the gents with a couple of blokes was "WTF are those two doing ?", so it was very much being noticed. I was tempted to mutter "great parenting" on my way out, but what would be the point ? I'd only have got a gobfull, maybe a headbutt.
I don't think I've ever seen a more selfish example of woeful parenting. I'm left feeling annoyed I didn't say or do anything...but I just can't see what it would have achieved.
I've lived in a range of countries and now back in England. Never once thought that, far from it. I think here perhaps we're not as good at intervening as some other countries overall (more reserved), but to say we're not a child loving society is ridiculous 
