Friday, April 23, 2010

"She's One of the Picky Ones..."

I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why are some parents so proud of their spoilt-rotten children?

Over a week ago, a lady called, asking if we could fit her daughter out for a Renaissance "do" this Saturday. Ramona assured her that we could, but asked that she come out Saturday afternoon. She explained that we were working on several huge shows, and that the pressure was on and would remain so until Saturday morning, when the second show ("Earnest," double cast) goes out.

Damned if they didn't show up earlier this week! The mom said, "I know you said to come on Saturday, but she's one of the picky ones, so we thought we'd better come and have a look around." Unspoken was, "...So that, if you don't have anything that pleases her, we have time to look elsewhere."

Dearly Beloved, we have enough Renaissance and Medieval stuff to clothe the courts of King Arthur and King Henry VIII in one fell swoop.

I explained to the mom (again) how we had the shows going out, and let the two of them see that we had enough pretty gowns for even her picky daughter. We even let them dig through the stock, but they didn't get far, as we had no time to wait on them. After complaining that it was difficult to pull on their own, because the clothes were crammed in so tightly on the rods, they left.

So why is this mom willing to inconvenience us in order to gratify her daughter's "picky-ness?" Why isn't the child being raised to have consideration for others? Is this part of the current "princess" culture? She obviously thought that her daughter's feelings were more important than our schedule.

I SO felt like saying, "Ma'am...you treat your daughter like a princess; what's going to happen when she's out in the real world?" I mean, really...is she going to be one of those people who shows up at a restaurant five minutes before closing and demands a full meal? Will she reject a suitor because he has a bad hair day? Will she divorce her husband over an evening spent out with his buddies?

Parents: Ya gotta think ahead. Your child has a place in society, and it's neither at the bottom nor at the top. Treating others as you would like to be treated, not demanding they treat you like royalty, is the way to get on.

4 comments:

  1. I think the mom never considered anything you said to her. In one ear and out the other. In her mind, she's paying for it, so she sets the schedule. I don't even think it's the daughter who's one of the picky ones, necessarily. It's mom playing a little status-and-power game with someone she considers a littlepeople.

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  2. And in the process, training the daughter to be the same. Makes sense.

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  3. From Nadine, who is having trouble posting today:

    I think Driver hit the nail on the head. At best, I think there would've been a 'problem' with anything she picked out. I think you're lucky to be rid of them both!

    Nadine


    Note: they still may come back tomorrow...

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  4. Nail some garlic to the door, that should do the trick!

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