Thoughts entered my mind when I viewed this prompt ‘Shut up’.
How do you politely ask or tell someone to be quiet without fear of retaliation?
Mothers often have to take their children along on shopping trips.
I remember the dilemma decades ago faced when my child’s request
was met with the two-letter word ‘no’.
Back then we mothers practiced distraction and method of peace offerings.
(Here’s a cookie taken from my purse – a surprise reward once home for
GOOD behavior).
Mannerisms changed throughout the years.
No person wishes to browse racks of clothes, shelves of goods nor walk the aisles
and listen to a mother shouting the ‘same words’ over and over – words louder
than the cries of the child’s temper tantrum.
Perhaps one day there’ll be a noise control button to push to request a shopper
leave or plain ‘Shut up’.
Until then the idea of carrying a pair of earplugs could curb our urge to utter
distasteful negative words as we continue in fear to keep mum.
Sunday Writing Prompt “Shut up”
jaquintinwriter 
Thank you for joining us! I remember once being in the grocery store and seeing a mother with her small child. The child was getting loud, upset and the mother stopped and asked the child how they were feeling. The child said something like I am grumpy. I am hungry. So the mom was like Thank you for telling me, how about we have get a snack after this? And that was that. I was so impressed!
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Cute mini-story with happy ending – great 🙂
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Honestly, if you pay attention to the behaviors in stores, the parents are often the culprits. The kid begs, the parent tells them to shut up, they get hurt, because their teacher always says “you should never tell anyone to shut up”. This goes on and on until everyone is shouting and the kid gets whatever they had been begging for.
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Thank you for reading and replying. Perhaps some parents are culprits. The world is different now. Reflecting back I don’t remember speaking those words to my children and ‘yes’ at times my own acted up in public.
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I remember one time telling my daughter to shut up because we were having a heated argument and she kept going on and on, taunting me. She was older, probably 14 or 15. I still remember that one time. I was a school teacher and it is amazing the things adults say to children. It is quite disgusting in many situations. As we are speaking, I am in an room next to my father and he is watching Dr. Phil. The things this mother admits saying to her child is so horrendous. I don’t understand this part of “humanity”.
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Most of the time it is, I have seen that scenario many times myself which is why it is was refreshing to see someone approaching the situation differently
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🙂
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