So, I’m at the grocery store the other day minding my own business. 

First, let me say I really hate those grocery carts that have little plastic cars in the front of them for kids to ride in.  You know the ones.  They have little steering wheels and take up the whole aisle.

Anyway, I’m passing the front of an aisle.  Coming toward me a couple of feet away, his hands firmly on the steering wheel, this obnoxious little bugger says to me, “Get out of my way you stupid idiot.”  I look at him looking at me, then look at his mom.  She says to him, “Did you just say that about the lady?”  Kid responds in the positive, and mom replies, “You shouldn’t say things like that to people.”  No apology, no nothing.  I’m sure she was embarrassed, but I was sorely tempted to look her in the eye and say sweetly, “You seem like such a concerned parent.  You might want to get him used to hearing the phrase ‘F**k you’”

I would have been sorely tempted to crash my car(t) head on into the precious little snowflake so that the kid with the dirty little mouth gets a taste of what road rage and being emotional about “driving” will earn him in the future… A “less than genuine” apology afterwards would be sufficient given the apology you were given for being verbally assaulted by their demon spawn. 

Actually, I would have played deaf, refused to move and when the ‘kid’ hit me I would have deliberately fallen down and then sued the parent.

addendum:  okay it was the mom pushing the cart not the kid.  It’s probably she would not crash into me BUT, upon hearing such a statement hurled at me I would not look at the child but rather at the mother and say, “I beg your pardon?  Is there something I can help you with?”....to visit the assumption that it was the mother who spoke and not the child.

Unfortunately, kids just mirror what they have heard around them. Exactly as they have heard it. (I’ve experienced too many of these utterances not to be convinced that kids are portable dictation machines.)  

If such a thing were to happen to me, I would probably get down on his level and ask him “Where have you learned such rude and nasty talk?” and wait while he explained. (All the while glancing up at the mother in question.)  When the child was done, I would explain that MOST people do NOT speak in such a way because it is rude, hurtful, and “Not Nice”.  (I have a way with kids.)   Then I would smile at the child, acknowledge the mother, and go about my way.

Dave, you’re brilliant!

Or you could claim to be a highwayman, and demand that he pay the “toll”. . .