i do not understand parents sometimes

[substitute]

i am at kean, where a little girl inside is determined to hang herself dead on the curtain lines. she has now wrapped the line around her neck three times while standing on a chair and the two adults sitting ther have done nothing.

now she is on the chair on one leg, throat wrapped in a cord attached to the top of the blinds, sliding happily down the window

it is like an Edward Gorey book!

Comments

[onlyonline.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I've heard the name "Edward Gorey". I'm adding you b/c your posts are interesting and concise.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

thank you!

[miss-geek.livejournal.com]

i was at kean the other day and there was a little girl that was playing in the curtains and rolling around on the ground and lifting her dress up over her head and her parents were totally ignoring her too... it was upsetting.

[kasheri.livejournal.com]

It's tough to judge, but if it were me, chords wrapped around the neck would definitely warrant a "Cut that out! You're going to kill yourself! Crimeny!" On the other hand, rolling around on the floor and pulling the dress up over the head? That might earn a "Come up off the floor, honey, it's dirty." But then, if she were being quiet and I was starved for adult conversation, I might very well ignore it.

The thing to keep in mind about parents is, we're all sleep deprived. I don't care how old your kids are or how well they sleep through the night, we're all freakin' exhausted. So we choose our battles.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

I do draw the line at self-strangulation play. If you can't notice your child wrapping a cord around her neck and balancing on a chair, maybe you need some more coffee.

[kasheri.livejournal.com]

Well, see, you could have been oh-so-suave..."Garçon, send the lady with the suicidal toddler a double shot of espresso, on me."

[dr-strych9.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think I would have stood up, walked over to the child and started teaching her more effective means of suicide.