Kathleen Whitfield

on 10/29/05 3:38 AM, [email protected] at
[email protected] wrote:

> For me, those
> situations kind of suck, because i feel like i'm forced to enforce
> the store's rule or get yelled at by some salesperson, when very
> often their fears are unfounded (would your son *really* get hurt by
> climbing up a couple of steps, and then down, with you watching,
> keeping him safe? Probably not, and yet i know i feel like i'm
> letting my son do "bad" if i allow it.)

My kids generally don't try to climb these store ladders past
toddler/preschooler age -- we're at the park/playlands a lot and their store
behavior is rather "good," although sometimes I know there's a temptation.
They're generally not super active/adventurous types, although they'll climb
up the outside of slides, too. I agree, though, that it's unlikely to be
particularly dangerous to them to go up a couple of steps on store ladders.

I see it as a social issue, though, in that I have empathy for the employees
who are generally low-wage and low-power and who could get in trouble if one
of their many bosses -- many of whom are low-wage and low-power themselves
-- sees children climbing on the ladders. So, in those cases, I see my older
children's desire to climb on those structures as valid, but ultimately less
important than the employees' needs to keep their jobs. Climbing on the
ladder is more a whim, and, although I'm all for helping kids fulfill their
whims, I don't want to do it at the expense of others -- and they can and do
climb in a lot of other places.

Are people's jobs really at risk from kids on ladders? Maybe not. Are some
people overreacting? Undoubtedly. But I don't want to stress out people who
are already dealing with a stressful-in-its-powerlessness job (see "Nickel
and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich for an interesting picture of life in
retail -- I don't agree with all her conclusions, but the portrait is worth
a read). It just doesn't seem kind. Plus, it keeps our shopping trips more
pleasant when employees aren't yelling at us. My kids know that the store
rules are "no customers on the ladders." My older kids (7 & 9) understand
why -- "fear of lawsuits" as opposed to "you'll fall and get hurt."

Kathleen
in LA

queenjane555

> I see it as a social issue, though, in that I have empathy for the
>employees who are generally low-wage and low-power and who could get
>in trouble if one of their many bosses -- many of whom are low-wage
>and low-power themselves-- sees children climbing on the ladders.

That's a good point, and i've used that reason with my son
before...that the person in charge of the dept might get in trouble if
s/he doesnt make everyone follow the "rules". Its usually not a big
deal, and now that he is older, he always gets down (if he even tries
to get up there in the first place.)


Katherine