really?

So I just read this story:
Mother of girl in sex video says she was at work.

A few memorable details/quotes:

"Stiles, 37, is being described as a dangerous, knife-wielding survivalist who once vowed never to be taken alive and formerly worked as an animal trainer with Las Vegas illusionists Siegfried & Roy."

"The woman [mom] wants Stiles prosecuted, Donohue [her lawyer] said, adding: 'I wish the guy would dig a hole in the desert and put a gun to his mouth.'"

"Las Vegas police say Stiles had a string of arrests dating to 1999 on several charges, including assault, battery, resisting a police officer, auto theft, leaving the scene of an accident and contempt of court."

So my first thought was, Why did the mom have a knife fighting junkie babysitting her kid?!

But then I considered the possibility that she had someone else babysitting her daughter and this guy was a friend of the babysitter. So I guess the question is:

Why would you have someone who hangs out with a knife fighting junkie babysit your kid?!

disturbing.

I am starting to feel old. I remember adults when I was growing up making references to their generation compared to my generation (x or y or something like that, I think). At the time I didn't understand. But everyday that passes I am starting to understand it a little better.

Or maybe it's just that I work at a store where only the spoiled kids get to shop on a regular basis.

Regardless, last night after we were closed, the porch was shut down, the music was off, and the overnight crew was already getting to work fixing the clothes, there still was one family tearing through the clearance shelves. There were probably 4-6 kids with the mom, I am unsure of how many kids because they were never all in the same spot at the same time so it was difficult to get an accurate count. Anyway, as each minute goes by the kids start getting louder-- raising their voice at their mom. The crazy thing was, it didn't even phase her. This was all happening while the store was relatively empty, and quiet-- so everything they said reverberated off of the wood and tile floors and traveled throughout the whole store. For me, it feels like I am yelling in a library when the store is quiet and I talk. Again, didn't phase them. So the Mom, while still shopping, ignoring the 3 angry teenagers standing behind the cashwrap, waiting for them to leave so that they, too, can leave, asks where her pretzels sticks are. So this little girl-- I'm guessing anywhere between 6-9 years old that is less than 4 feet tall, and has red hair pulled back in a messy bun, shoves the package at her. (is redder a word?). To keep myself from saying something rude to the girl and/or the mom, I then retreat back behind the cashwrap to join the line of sour faced teenagers leaning against the counter. Finally, the familys head for the door, in a single file line. Who knows what happened to the 10 orange shirts she had pulled from the shelves? As they pass us the little red head snaps (loudly) at her mom, "I only ate THREE, your FATASS ate the rest."

And the whole family just kept on walking out the door- the mom didn't even flinch.

All 4 of our jaws dropped simultaneously as we watched them file out the door. I am hoping and praying that what I witnessed was a parenting thing, not a generation gap thing. However, I am proud of the kids at work because everyone of them was shocked and appalled. That did give me hope because most days I worry about the inability to work and from what I can tell, function, in the "outside world." It brought warmth to my heart to hear them all start going-off about how they would never talk to their parents like that, and if that was their kid they would wash their mouth out with soap, and their outrage continued even as I walked them to the front of the store and they left for the night.

I don't have kids-- and I know that I don't know a thing about raising them. But if they ever do go crazy for 2 seconds and swear at me-- they probably will never, ever, do it again.