Several families get together and the infants are happily playing. One Knomira sees several children waving their hands at each other, all of them are pre-verbal and only speaking "scribble", but it's like the parents know exactly what the kids want, and sign back as well as say aloud what the kids want and answering them. The Knomira, of course, throws a massive temper tantrum because these parents taught their pre-verbal children how to sign for basic needs instead of being "normal children" like hers and just crying and letting her figure it out. -- Anon Guest
The worst state of mind to exist in is the pure and solid belief that one knows everything. Especially everything that is right and correct. From such a high stance of morality, the rest of the world around them is simply made to be offensive and irritating.
Case in point, a very firmly Mrs Paumpateur out walking her children in their double stroller. This stroller was a work of art, just one millidu[1] below the maximum legal length, breadth and height for such things. The two children within, however, are definitely too large to be riding in it. She is currently steering it along the vehicle path simply because she can.
The playground she's headed towards is easily within running distance, but Mrs Paumpateur has installed safety locks on the harnesses. Even now, her precious young are squealing and struggling against their bonds.
There are other children there, and other parentals supervising them, but they are not important to Mrs Paumpateur. What matters is that her little precious darlings behave on cue. "Playing nice voices," she croons.
The children, who know exactly how much they can get away with, sit properly and silence their howling. They watch their mother's fingers as she counts. They do not count with her.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Good babies." The instant she lays her hands on the childproof catches, the kids resume screaming. "Play nicely."
Other parentals watch in bemusement as the children tear away in full chaos mode and Mrs Paumpateur turns her back to acquire a beverage. She is about to be offended when she turns back to the playground.
Because far smaller children are interacting with their guardians on a level a little more sophisticated than her darling, older babies. Toddlers speaking in scribble and using hand signs. Guardians interpreting tone of voice by paying attention. And providing -gasp- critique against her beautiful babies!
How. DARE!
"Ex-CUSE me," she instantly outraged whilst her children were throwing cubes of foam at smaller and younger children. "You don't see or hear me talking about the way you raise your little monsters." Outside the sphere of her egocentrism, her darling little babies were attempting to strangle each other. Screaming the entire time.
One of the nearest parents picked up hir toddler by seeming telepathy. "I'm sure you'd get around to it. I mean you only just got here." The child in hir arms whined a string of babble and ze turned to talk to them. "Yes, I know those new kids are being too rough. Is there ows? Did you get any ows?"
"You're indulging that whiny little brat," Mrs Paumpateur opined, completely ignoring her kids as they literally ran over another child, barely missing out on causing an injury. "They can't talk yet. Honestly, you have teach them how to behave before you teach them how to talk."
"How about you start," the guardian of the run-over kid had scooped them up. "Your kids are not 'playing nice'."
The instant Mrs Paumpateur turned to look at them, they stopped tearing around like maniacs and got very interested in the interactive parts of the play gym. "I don't see them doing anything wrong. Maybe your children are being obstructionist. Why do you expect too much out of little people wearing four Diminished Responsibility Bracelets[2]?"
"That's not how it works," said an elder of the group. "Parents and guardians teach those with the DR bracelets how to be more responsible. Not letting them get away with less."
"And that hand flapping is just dangerous," said Mrs Paumpateur as if the others hadn't spoken. "What's it meant to accomplish? Spreading germs?"
"It's basic sign? They're going to teach it in beginner's ed, anyway. Don't you want your--" the spokesguardian glanced at Mrs Paumpateur's kids, who were back to throwing things. "--little darlings... to get a head start?"
"They will learn when they are due to learn, and they are not due to learn yet. I know the proper progression of stages and growth. They're not due to learn speaking for another two months."
One of her precious babies, apparently tired of attempted murder, pulled on her dress and screamed.
"What is it, baby? You want up?" Pull and scream. "You want a cookie?" Pull and scream. "You want a drink?" Jump, jump, jump. "You see?" she said, helping her tiny demon with the water fountain. "Parenting is easy when you just do it right."
The assembled parents and children mutually decided to go elsewhere for a while.
"Selfish people," Mrs Paumpateur tutted. "How in the world will my little babies make friends if nobody lets them have company?"
[1] One thousandth of a Standard Distance Unit [SDU, pronounced sid-oo]. One millidu is roughly equivalent to a millimeter.
[2] Diminished Responsibility status means that the person with it needs help with various things. It does not give them license to be irresponsible. The goal, naturally, is to learn to be responsible.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / ilona75]
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