to feel a bit sorry for the family whose little boy had a huge tantrum for sweets during the 2 min silence

[thehorridestmumintheworld]

Glad I don't have a toddler any more! We were in the leisure centre cafe and a Dad had just got his little lad some sweeties out of the vending machine but they were the wrong ones. An announcement came for the 2 min silence and the boy screamed loudly all through it about getting the wrong ones. How embarrassing why do kids do this kind of thing?

[queenebay]

The parent should have taken the child outside

[Blu]

Oh dear, poor dad.

Did he not whoosh him straight outside? Surely he didn't sit out the 2 ins in the café with the child screaming?

[GobbySadcase]

Yep, we had similar at the war memorial.
Toddler doing a really fake cough and asking repeatedly why it was so quiet whilst his poor mother looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her.

The looks they were getting, though. Oooooh.

[SoupDragon]

Does the 2min silence only happen indoors?

[Nannyme1]

Dad should have taken child outside.

But why do kids do this kind of thing? Seriously???

Because they don't know it's 2 minute silence to show respect, they don't know they are disturbing anyone else, depending on age they don't have the power to think that far ahead, they live in the moment.

[Thumbwitch]

Perhaps because they don't understand about the 2 minute silence, and perhaps because the parents usually give in to him, and perhaps he is on the autistic spectrum and the wrong sweets --> meltdown and perhaps because he is just a child?

I agree that the parent should have removed him from the vicinity. Mind you, perhaps he wasn't bothered about the 2 minute silence himself - I've seen people chat all the way through it in the League of Friends café of the hospital I used to work in! That's FAAAR worse because they are adults and should know better. How embarrassing!

[YellowCanary1]

My son just kept on asking why everyone had stopped and was being quiet. Hopefully people understand that toddlers/ babies etc don't always understand. I'd have felt sorry for them too.

[Mumsyblouse]

There was a little boy giggling during the two minute silence, I was in the changing rooms. I found it very endearing, I'm sure that none of those who serve would have been offended by a child laughing (I would have removed the screaming one outside but it's hard to do that in 2 min flat).

[OvaryAction]

why was there 2 mins silence? I thought it's on the 11/11 and it's the 10th today isn't it?


Isn't it???

[Thumbwitch]

Ovary, it's Remembrance Sunday so there is often a 2 minute silence at 11am today as well.

[HumphreyCobbler]

i would have put mine over my shoulder and made a run for it

[FamiliesShareGerms]

DD kept asking in a stage whisper why see had to be quiet... Cue bribery with a pack of biscuits...

[pookamoo]

THey have the 2 min silence on Rememberance Day (the closest Sunday) as well as 11/11.

We were in Homebase and DD1 who is 4 can't quite get that whispering doesn't = silence.

[ShatnersBassoon]

In church this morning, a little boy realised he could hear an echo if he said twit-twoo really loudly when everyone else was silent . Most people found it amusing, a couple were about to hyperventilate with huffing and puffing, his mum was torn between unsuccessfully hushing him and disrupting a whole row of people to get him out.

I don't think there's a right thing to do, just be seen to be doing something!

[dovaffanculo]

The dad should have taken the child outside rather than disturb everyone else in the leisure centre.
A tantruming child will not be mollified by hushed ssshhs from a parent and everyone else will be judging the parents .A quick swoosh outside and back into the warm in 2 minutes would have solved the problem .

[DuckToWater]

I don't think it really matters in a shop or cafe TBH. It's not like he was attending a solemn remembrance service.

[OvaryAction]

tumbwitch thanks

[DameDeepRedBetty]

The nearest Sunday is when the Queen etc do it.

I turned out this morning, there was a very little girl who chattered constantly, her dad took her right to the back. I thought she was sweet.

I will be observing silence tomorrow at 11, I find it even more moving when it's in the middle of my normal day.

[coraltoes]

Oh for gods sake it is a CHILD. Nobody will hear it and think "how disrespectful", and if they do well fuck them. The dad meant no harm I'm sure and not did the son. Hardly a disaster is it. What a fuss about nothing.

[BackforGood]

I think we've all been there. I've always tended to be at Church, and knowing it will happen, so am positioned by the door for a quick exit and will have tried to explain to older little ones what it's about, but if it happens somewhere like a leisure centre then they might not have been expecting it.

[Aniseeda]

Poor Dad!

I though you were going to say they were at a service, in which case I'd have had less sympathy as I wouldn't take a child that age to the war memorial today as they are just too young to understand and highly likely to be noisy at the wrong moment.

As to why they do it, well it's the law of toddlers isn't it. The more you really, really need them to be quiet, the more noisy they will be!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Giggling at twit twoo toddler!

[loveandsmiles]

I was in Sainsburys with my 5DC. They gave a 5min warning over the tannoy ~ I knew they wouldn't be quiet so asked Customer Service to mind my trolley and I took them outside then came back in when it was over. I did speak to DC about Remembrance (11,8,5,3 and baby) and we stood fairly quietly outside where everyone was going about their business as normal.

Man should have taken screaming DC out IMO......

[Blu]

Corlaltoes, no need to be so exasperated. No one is huffing, puffing or blaming the child, or the dad.

But the point of the silence is to reflect and to collectively feel a shared silence. A shrieking child unfortunately interrupts both those things s it is considerate to try and take them out or away.

OP Toddlers do these things not because they are spoilt or have any SN, but because they have developed strong passions but not the maturity or experience to moderate them, nor the power to actually do / effect what they want. So they explode in rage and frustration.

[WooWooOwl]

I would feel sorry for the family if they looked embarrassed while talking their child outside. I wouldn't have any sympathy for a family that stood there ineffectually shushing during the silence.

There was a family at our memorial service today that allowed their toddler to whine during the Roll of Honour. They were right near the door FFS, they should have used it. Very disrespectful.