AIBU to be fed up with screaming children in the supermarket?

Nope. But maybe, you know, parent your kids? There’s so much help and advice online for parents who have children who have poor behaviour. Of course excluding toddlers and babies, but older children - no excuse.

Wow, two incidences involving older people in one day 🙄

How about teaching them how to behave in public? Definitely part of your parenting role.

Lucky for you if you're able to do that. Some people have to work. And toddlers are around during the day too

I must admit I haven’t heard or seen a good toddler tantrum or screaming child for a while in a supermarket. But maybe that’s because I only go on Saturdays as a family (so everyone can decide what to eat) and a mini shop on Tuesday during the day.
I did witness a vicious older lady screaming at the cashier in Tesco on Tuesday, because her coupons had expired. And I saw a 60 year old man having a meltdown in the carpark because the carpark attendants had popped a ticket on his car - he had parked a very smart looking BMW/Audi/Penis extension in the parent and child bays without a child and was over the lines, so the disabled “space” next to him became very narrow.

Why though?

I always think I should say to the parent "shopping in Tesco make me want to scream too". Especially when I have to take my mother on a Saturday morning at 10.30am and all the store pickers are out in force.

Blimey. In that case where did you get your blinkers from, because I could do with some myself...

I work in a supermarket and there was a girl of about 5 at my till the other day repeatedly kicking her father because he wouldn’t let her have a doughnut. She was screaming the place down. Babies crying and toddler tantrums I can tolerate but not that kind of behaviour.

I see lots of kids about but never find them badly behaved or a problem. I can only think from seeing all these posts on Mumsnet that some people who feel negatively towards families and children have had some kind of karmic sentence passed on them to be perceiving themselves to be followed around by screaming kids and indifferent parents, as I just don't see it and never have, even when I was in the trenches with my own kids.

Put headphones on and play music while you shop.

So in your world anyone who minds a small child tripping people up and getting in their way is a 'miserable witch', do you? Lovely. 🙄There are plenty of places a child can laugh and play around, there's no need for it to happen where people are trying to shop.

And presumably it's occurred to you that if she trips someone up, she herself could get hurt?

So you're saying you think children have literally no choice but to scream and are powerless to not do so?

I really don’t think anyone is taking their kids shopping after school out of choice. Not everyone has the luxury of having someone to drop them off to or having time on their own for a coffee before heading out shopping.

We need more of this. Screaming children are just an excuse for p* poor parenting.

Or get them out of the shop to settle so they do not disturb others.

If they are not my children I don't even hear them. And if I happen to hear or notice, I don't care, again as long as they are not my children.

Only annoys me if the whole family is out together including dad and they take up every single aisle they go down🫠🫠 surely one of them would have been better staying at home or the park. It's not a weekend activity! even couples shopping together with no kids drives me mad. Slowly debating each item on their list. Parents on their own who have had to go to the supermarket usually aren't doing it out of choice 😂

I think you're perfectly well aware OP's not just talking about 'a couple of upset children'. I also think you're perfectly well aware of the scale and nature of the screaming OP's talking about - I suspect we've all experienced it - and are just being disingenuous here.

I don't blame the kids, I blame the parents dragging kids to the supermarket after school when they're tired. I used to drop mine off, or now wave the last school age one off, and then go to Costa in the supermarket for breakfast, and then do the shopping.

Toddler age and under, crying and meltdowns are common and pretty much acceptable. Any screaming and tantruming above that age, and it’s unacceptable, but unfortunately, short of banning parents who can’t control their older DCs, there’s not a lot people can do. It shouldn’t be difficult for a parent to stop their older children from using the supermarket isles like a playground.

One of the reasons I do online shopping 🤣

Maybe ! I’d love that luxury ! I have been known on occasion to be out food shopping at 6am when my husband is around to
avoid having to take mIne. It is truly tortuous at times ! I’ve definitely considered abandoning my trolley half way thru !

@Thebinisrightthere . I have been known to hiss to my DH, "Let's pretend that they're not ours", but I haven't yet reached the point of trying to appropriate someone's angelic curly haired tot in their place. Partly out of misplaced loyalty, but partly also because I'm not sure a child like that would be tough enough to survive and thrive in our house...

It's a bit like when DMIL gives us an M&S orchid for Christmas and we all take bets on how long it will last.

There might also be the risk that the parent might accidentally 'lose' their ticket & insist that their child is the angelic-looking one, too young to say "but you're not my mummy/daddy" while their little monster is the one left in the box at the end of the day...!

Reminds me of my auntie who used customer services in the supermarket as childcare. The tannoy would announce "please can the mum of Jenny come to customer services where her daughter is waiting ". My auntie would just carry on with her shopping. 15 mins later: "Would Jenny's mum PLEASE come to customer services right away!!!"