This story is gonna make you chuckle and it’ll also make you say, “those darn kids, what will they do next?!?!”
And that’s a guarantee!
It all started when a woman and her boyfriend decided to go to an event at Walmart…
You, a senior citizen military veteran, can handle my hyperactive 7-year-old? Be my guest.
“This happened years ago with myself, a friend, my then-boyfriend and his daughter. We couldn’t do much for toys for this particular Christmas, but our family was nominated for an event called “Shop with a Veteran.”
It’s where kids get to go in a Walmart with a veteran and can pick out their own Christmas gifts with a set amount of money donated by civilians and other veterans. The things is, only the veteran can go in with them.
I had later found out it was because some parents had earlier tried to persuade their kids to get things that were more catered to the parents or another child instead of the child who was nominated. I can definitely understand the rule being enforced for this, but some children should have their parents with them.
Her BF’s daughter has some issues.
My boyfriend’s daughter was diagnosed with severe ADHD and had taken her medication, but she had gotten very excited when she found out about going to get Christmas gifts of her choosing. We found the lady hosting and explained to her about the daughter’s ADHD and how she can be a whirlwind when she gets excited and how she doesn’t like to listen to people she doesn’t know.
When we explained to the lady hosting the event that one of us should go in with his daughter just to make sure she behaved, she understood and talked to the veteran who was going to shop with the daughter.
This guy wasn’t having it.
He immediately argued, claiming he was tired of parents wanting to pressure their kids to getting things they didn’t want, and he wanted the daughter to have a good time picking out her gift. The lady tried to explain the situation, but the veteran wouldn’t hear any of it. I clearly remember him grumbling at us, “I’ve been to war, I can handle a kid.” Well, in that case…
After the veteran took the daughter into the store, we saw two friends going in we didnt know theyd be there, but we were happy to see them. My boyfriend caught up with them and asked one of them if they could keep an eye on the daughter and the veteran. My boyfriend then emphasized that the veteran clearly thought he could handle his daughter, so let him handle her.
They finally returned.
We waited for about an hour when the veteran returned with the daughter.
She was grinning ear to ear at all the presents she was able to get.
He looked like he had been through hell.
This guy wasn’t happy.
He then yelled at us that the daughter was the most disrespectful brat he had ever met.
How she had to touch all the toys and threw everything she wanted into the shopping cart and she was a nightmare when he told her she couldn’t have everything she picked out.
My boyfriend packed his daughter’s gifts in the car and then took her back inside to start our grocery shopping.
We couldn’t do it while she was in there with the veteran because we had to wait outside for when they were done so we could immediately take her and her gifts.
Understandable, they weren’t babysitters.
I decided to talk to the veteran and told my boyfriend that I’d meet him inside.
She broke it down for him.
I asked him if he was okay. He said he was fine, but why didn’t we tell him our daughter was crazy. I promptly corrected him by saying she was not crazy. I explained her ADHD to him and how we only wanted to go in with them so she would behave.
We know that she knows to behave around us, school and grandma’s house. How she doesn’t like to listen to strangers, even if we know them and she doesn’t. I apologized and told him that not all parents want to go in to use this as an excuse to get their own gifts. Some genuinely just want to make sure their kids behave.
And then they got the rundown.
Later in the store, our friend caught up with us and told us everything that happened. The daughter had run up and down the toys aisles, she kept going back and forth from the toys to the cart throwing in anything she could get her hands on.
She even screamed at the veteran when he put some of the toys back.
Typical behavior when her normal authority figures aren’t watching.
When she was satisfied with toys she did get, she kept asking for candy at the checkout, which she asks anyone for when we go to the store.
It was amusing to us that a grizzled military Veteran was outmatched by a hyperactive 7-year-old.
The oldtimer learned a lesson that day!
We’ve since then been better off and we donate money to this event every year and even toys for any toy drive they have.
The veteran still does the event, but he’s more understanding when certain children need they’re parents to go with them.
He does get the odd pushy parent now and then, but he handles them rather than flat-out denies all parents going in.”
Here’s how Reddit users responded.
This person talked about their own nightmare shopping story.
Another individual made a good point.
This reader shared their nannying story.
Another person had an interesting experience…
And this Reddit user’s daughter handled things in expert fashion.
That’ll show ’em.
Kids are nothing to mess around with!
If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.