None

[angeltouch]

None

[Ebola]

From someone working in an LE field. That's an example of no use of discretion, and pure power-tripping wannabe-ism.

But to be fair, how old is your "little son". The police wouldn't be reading him anything unless he's over 12, so he's not that little?

Upon further review, a ban seems fair, seeing as your "children" seem to be functional intelligent young people, and as such I question why they need to take balls our of their packages and walk around the store playing with them.

[westernartic]

I do not beleave the rent a cops should be treating kids this way.I have seen this many many times and it makes me sick.However i aslo don't think a 14 year old should get off with out anything.I don't think a criminal record is the key.is a ban from the store that i think is very fair.I have seen many teens steal from stores a few time i even asked them about it.They say they want to do it and they will get away with it.

[Narci]

While I agree the security guards were on a power tripping spree..is it really wise in this day and age to let your 12 year old run around in a department store by himself?

[B Prime]

I'm in agreement with what has been said above.

Any type of store is not your kids playground where they can run around and open whatever they choose no matter what age they are.

Also why did you not stay and talk to the police with your son....don't you think that would have been a good idea instead of going to an appointment that you could have called and rescheduled?

[kcorscadden]

I have to agree with everyone thus far.

Even though you are disabled, this does not give you the right to allow your kids to go running around the store. Yes kids will be kids, but come on use some common sense here. Perhaps in the future you should keep a closer eye on your kids. No offense but that was your one and only mistake that was made. Had you been with your kids the whole time, you would have been able to prevent your "little" son from opening the tennis balls. Your other problem was that you lost track of where the "older" son went. You assumed that he went to the car, but you weren't 100% sure, that isn't good parenting. He could have easily been abducted by a stranger. Had you known where he went, you wouldn't have had to send the "little" son out to the car to see of he was there. So basically you made 2 HUGE mistakes that really count as 1. Again I am not trying to offend you, but seriously come on.

As for the security guards, yes they could have and should have handled it differently. It was simply a power trip on their behalf. However, what you need to understand is that Wal-Mart is an American owned company, therefore they have American policies. Theft is a huge offense in the USA, and the security guards were probably following the policies straight from the book that they were trained from. From what I have seen, MOST Wal-Mart's operate the same way in this instance except for the mocking you part which is questionable since you are the source.

[RLP06]

I skimmed through, and I think that kids are out of control these days, at 12, you should have been taught not to take a ball out of a store, or to open up wrapped up stuff.

Though he did not deserve the treatment he got, he was still wrong in opening the package and taking it out of the store. I'd understand if he was 6, but hes probably in Grade 6 or Grade 7...

You keep refering to him as the "little one" but hes not very little.

[westernartic]

OP
You say where you come from there was no law.Do you think what your child di was fine and no big deal.

[thechampion116]

its hard to say for this situation but the guard was on a power trip and doing his job.


12 year olds can be overactive at times, but they should always be watched and not left to run off freely unless with an older sibling.

The problem the guard probably has, is that he saw your son with the toy the whole time, and you never actually took the toy from him and put back where it belong. That is probably where the problem may be, and it makes it seem as you thought it was ok for him to play with the ball around the store, and eventually let him take it home.

[apvm]

No offense but there is an old saying Parents always look upon their children as small.....My mother used to treat me like a little child even tho I was over 40. I don't hug my 12 years old daughter anymore unless she ask me to....I don't think 12 years old is tiny and a gang of them can do lots more damage than you can imagine and as a responsible adult, you shouldn't even leave your minors in public places in the 1st place.

IMO, I think you forgot to teach your children when they were really small and tiny to respect other people's properties and to behave in public places...those kind of stuff.

Running around and trying out all the toys in Walmart....hmmmm I don't suppose when you're at Best Buy, you run around and open up all those play things to try them out...

Once again .... no offense.

[RLP06]

Running around and trying out all the toys in Walmart....hmmmm I don't suppose when you're at Best Buy, you run around and open up all those play things to try them out...



Agreed, one time this guy at CT was trying to open up a MP3 player to give it a try before he bought it, but the sales rep kept refusing him, so the customer kept arguing to open it... long story short, teach your kids they can't open up sealed stuff, it costs the company which in turn costs OTHER consumers like US, who have taught our kids to not open sealed packages

[WildPegasus]

Can't do the time then don't do the crime!

[Narci]

What if your 2 sons were playing willian tell in the sports department with an archery set? Do you blame the store if your little one had an arrow in his eye? What if your little one tried to kick the tennis ball and ended up head first into a sharp corner?

Kids, especially boys, need to be watched (14 year old watching a 12 year old isn't much different then letting them run amok themselves) and I agree...children are playful, but there's a time and place for everything and a department store isn't a place to play..it can actually be quite dangerous. One time, i was about 10, I was chasing another kid around the department store. I round the corner and whammo, I ran into a corner of a shelf and cut my upper eye lid/brow open. I had to goto the hospital and get stitches. My mom was telling me it was a deep cut and fat was gushing out of the wound A cm lower I could have lost an eye.

[Canuck_2005]

I skimmed through your post, I also read almost every post in the lablaws watermelon thread this summer, and in comparison your situation is much different. Just in the way you describe your son, I would say your side is extremly bias sounding

12 years old is not "A little one" at 12 years old, I was stacking hay (some days 1200 bails a day) in my moms farm because my father passed away and it needed to be done and i needed to be resposible to help my mother.

Second, your kid opened a package to play with the ball. By doing this he just cost wallmart money. If i go to purchase something already opened I would expect a discount.

Third. you told your son to put the ball back. He didnt listen to you, he ignored you and kept the ball and took it out of the store.

Maybe the guard was on a power trip, but he is doing his job and cheap things such as a ball can add up and equal thosands in losses.

[CSK'sMom]

All I can say is wow.... and not to the part about the security guard either. It's pretty irresponsible in this day and age to let a 12 yr old run wild in Walmart. He could have been molested for gawd's sake! The 14 yr old is just that, 14, not his brothers keeper (or babysitter). Supervise your kids and teach them when instructed to do something (like put the tennis ball back) to do it. I have 3 kids (ages 12 and up) and they have never done anything like that, it's not the norm. They know how to behave in public and especially in stores. They do not open packages of merchandise that doesn't belong to them. It is stealing!

[zoro69]

The disconnect here is "little one" child...and 12 years old. At 12 I was in grades 7 and 8, across the road from a shopping center. The "kids' went to the stores all the time, no parents or older siblings around...if one walked out of the store with something they would (and at least 1 I knew was) dealt with as a shop lifter with the police called. There is no way at 12 I was in the toy dept opening packages/playing with balls in the store.

[Kasakato]

Why didn't you call the police? These "security guards" cannot arrest nor unreasonably detain your kid. Carrying a kid across a store seems a little unreasonable to me, after all its impossible for him to flee. Once the cops arrive little can be done in the way of criminal charges, it appears to all bean accident. It is my belief that the hour long talk, and yelling was only used as a scare tactic. Since they likely knew little could be done, they resorted to such. I would have just asked for the citation in regards to the ban, and walked out; unless they wanted to charge you.

Moreover, the 'little one' may have leaned something from the talk, I'm sure he won't "steal" again. Perhaps it was a lesson-well-learned.

[d_jedi]

As you all may now, all kids go to the toys or sports section to play in these stores (you can clearly see it in any of the stores of the chain because toys, balls, bicycles, etc. are scattered all over the floor and store clerks are constantly pick in up things).
I think that this is a very good policy from them because children are the ones that make us parents buy everything they want or need, especially in this season when Christmas is near and they are already making their list.
What would a store that sells children stuff be without kids?
For fcuk's sake. That is NOT a policy. Not even in the least.

There are so many things in this that just piss me off:
1) Parents who don't control their kids and allow them to run around the store
2) People who open packages in the store (this is NOT restricted to kids, either..)
...

Your kid opened a package of tennis balls (that's an immediate loss for the store if they're not bought by you. Who is going to want to buy the used balls at full price?). He kept one of those balls with him the entire time while you paid for your purchases, and then he left the store with it.

WHAT THE FCUK DO YOU THINK THE SECURITY GUARD SHOULD DO?
"Oh, I'm sure he's going to come back. He hasn't paid for that yet.." :confused:

[Hybrid88]

There is a Walmart store at Bathurst and Sheppard and in Vaughan? I don't think so. Is there anything else you want to disclose?

[nano]

if you take something from a store and you have made no attempt to pay for it... its stealing..

my motto if i have anyone shopping with me under 16 I tell them before going into dont put anything in your pocket and if you want something ask me.

the security guard is just doing his job.. personally i think its poor judgement for him to act like that.. i was a floor walker back in the day and people use swear up and down that their child didnt take anything until i told them exactly where the products were hidden.

[Pedroo]

I don't agree with what the security guard did to a 12 yr, people has to realize the SECURITY COMPANIES hires left over off the street without any training in how to handle situations, communcations, and the store manager should have handle the problem, hearing from both side of the stories, granted the KID shouldn't have open the package and play with the tennis balls, but kids will be kids, i guess some of u weren't kids....I was shopping in zellers with my wife oneday and believe or not this SECURITY IDOT was following my wife all over the store, make customers uneasy, when i saw what was happen, i went up to him and told him to stop spying on that lady or i would kick his a** in, he just walk away and i inturn following him all over the store......my 2 cents

[nano]

when floor walkers follow me i ask them if the want to help me shop

[spf1971]

I'd have to agree with about 90% of the posts so far. You shouldn't have left your sons to wander the store alone doing whatever they wanted. As for saying it was just a mistake and that your son didn't mean to steal the ball, that's what everybody says. Sometimes it is a mistake but a lot of the times it's just an excuse when they get caught. I've seem maybe half a dozen security tapes on tv of people using their young children to steal from stores in the last few months alone. I remember going to play in the toy section as a kid when my mother went shopping. Of course that was 25-30 years ago and I never opened any packages.Perhaps the store could have handled things better( remember we are only getting one side of the story) but I think you have to accept the majority of the fault for what happened.Either your son is old enough to be on his own and should have known better than to open things that didn't belong to him and take them from the store, or he is just a little kid and you should have kept him with you at all times. Just because you are disabled doesn't mean you can't tell him to stay with you.

[spf1971]

I don't agree with what the security guard did to a 12 yr, people has to realize the SECURITY COMPANIES hires left over off the street without any training in how to handle situations, communcations, and the store manager should have handle the problem, hearing from both side of the stories, granted the KID shouldn't have open the package and play with the tennis balls, but kids will be kids, i guess some of u weren't kids....I was shopping in zellers with my wife oneday and believe or not this SECURITY IDOT was following my wife all over the store, make customers uneasy, when i saw what was happen, i went up to him and told him to stop spying on that lady or i would kick his a** in, he just walk away and i inturn following him all over the store......my 2 cents

OOOH Tough Guy. I'm sure that really happened.

[rogeryen]

I agree with everyone who replied and I'm more concerned about you not educating your kids enough than the security guard being too harsh. Being disabled has little to do with your kids not listening to you. Good thing is I'm sure the little 12 year old has learned his lesson and has lost his "innocence" that he could go around opening everything he wanted in a store.

But I'm sure they don't send a 12 year old to jail for trespassing.

[Canuck_2005]

You keep mentioning things that are completly irrelevant to your story which really only works against you. Your child being a baby and you having a disability. Are these suppose to involk immotional support for you do to them?

You need to learn to take resposibility for yourself. If I walked into a CD store, opened a CD Package, and then put it into my diskman to "Try before I buy" and then accidently walk out of the store, I would expect NO LESS then to be arrested, charged, yelled at, and called a theif.

You keep talking about your sons rights, what about Wallmarts right? They have a right to protect their property and prosecute thieves. You got off lucky.

I find the most ironic part about your message is that you think it is Wallmarts responsibilty to tell your son to pay for an item he has taken out of the package and removed from the store, you say you would have paid for it then scolded him later. Im assuming the punshment would have been in response to you having to PAY, not your sons action.

[Ebola]

Why didn't you call the police? These "security guards" cannot arrest nor unreasonably detain your kid. Carrying a kid across a store seems a little unreasonable to me, after all its impossible for him to flee. Once the cops arrive little can be done in the way of criminal charges, it appears to all bean accident. It is my belief that the hour long talk, and yelling was only used as a scare tactic. Since they likely knew little could be done, they resorted to such. I would have just asked for the citation in regards to the ban, and walked out; unless they wanted to charge you.

Moreover, the 'little one' may have leaned something from the talk, I'm sure he won't "steal" again. Perhaps it was a lesson-well-learned.

Loss prevention CAN arrest people.

They just don't do it very often because it's a citizen's arrest and they have to have all their ducks in a row if they are going to do it.

[spf1971]

Why didn't you call the police? These "security guards" cannot arrest nor unreasonably detain your kid. Carrying a kid across a store seems a little unreasonable to me, after all its impossible for him to flee. Once the cops arrive little can be done in the way of criminal charges, it appears to all bean accident. It is my belief that the hour long talk, and yelling was only used as a scare tactic. Since they likely knew little could be done, they resorted to such. I would have just asked for the citation in regards to the ban, and walked out; unless they wanted to charge you.

Moreover, the 'little one' may have leaned something from the talk, I'm sure he won't "steal" again. Perhaps it was a lesson-well-learned.

Actually he could have been charged with theft. He probably wouldn't have been sent to youth detention but he still could have been charged.

[sPiKyAZN]

Well, here's what I see in this story. The security guards did seem quite brutal, however, when you deal with thieves everyday I'm sure its hard to cut the "good ones" some slack.

I work in a retail store (not as large as wal-mart, but still a mid-sized chain), and if we saw someone opening up packages and taking products around in the store...it would be a cause for suspicion. Even if they didn't steal its still extremely annoying because that means we have to try to reseal the package, claim it as a loss or send it back to the supplier.

When I was 12 (not too long ago) I never ripped open packages or horsed around in a store. I was taught to respect other people's property, and not play with things unless it was mine. There's a difference between "trying" (demo product that's already opened like the bikes at walmart) and ripping open sealed products.

With that said, everyone makes mistakes and I'm sure it was a total accident that your son walked out the door with the tennis ball. The only issue I have is with how he actually damaged a perfectly good product just to play. That's just not how it works here.

[Canuck_2005]

that replied to my post.

It was a very enlightening day as I learned a lot from each and everyone, and now I know what follows as this is just the begining of the story as the end is in the hands of those involved in the situation: parent, child and store owner.

My last wish is to whom originally I wrote the story: parents.
You may think that you have a perfect life, with perfect children, but beware as you may end up having to deal with very unpleasant moments, specially in this time of the year where every store is full of people and situations. This doesn't mean that you are bad parents or you have bad kids, on the contrary, none of us had children that came with a booklet of instructions and I'm sure that we all do the best we can.
You may choose to ignore my post and to think that "we" are the bad people, but never say never as nobody knows what our future holds for us, specially with kids that are always unpredictable even with the best examples and best teachings or behaviour as they are still learning and testing their environment.

So I hope that instead of judging others, take care of yourselves, pay more attention to what happens around you, don't allow violence to come into your world, no matter what the situation is because violence only brings more violence and in the end, the only ones that will be affected are going to be us, because instead of living in a fair world, we will end up living in one where those with power in their hands will have the last word, and that's something that none of you will want to have in their lives, I'm sure.

I hope that today, somebody "listened"...and to those people, this was our story.

Thank you very much and someday I will come back to write the end of it.


Does your disability require you to be heavily medicated?????

[westernartic]

Why didn't you call the police? These "security guards" cannot arrest nor unreasonably detain your kid. Carrying a kid across a store seems a little unreasonable to me, after all its impossible for him to flee. Once the cops arrive little can be done in the way of criminal charges, it appears to all bean accident. It is my belief that the hour long talk, and yelling was only used as a scare tactic. Since they likely knew little could be done, they resorted to such. I would have just asked for the citation in regards to the ban, and walked out; unless they wanted to charge you.

Moreover, the 'little one' may have leaned something from the talk, I'm sure he won't "steal" again. Perhaps it was a lesson-well-learned.

There is a good deal of criminal charges that can be laid.I really don't know if this was all a accident at all.As for charges both the boy and op could have been charged and face life time bans from the walmart chain.Theft under $500 i think its 30 days in jail or a $5000 fine.

OP
I am starting to think you don't like our laws here.

1)Get used to them and adjust.
or
2)Go back to your home country.

[RLP06]

I think a lot of kids run rampant these days, and its due to the parenting. I see a lot of things these days that I would have not dared to do when I was younger

[Cam_86]

... Wow...

Not to mean or anything, but the OP really has some flawed perception of reality... Its pretty damn simple:
1.Dont open sealed stuff
2.If you find a unsealed item and want to look at it, DONT take it away from its packaging.
3.NEVER leave the store with unpaid merchandise(honestly cant believe someone would need to tell a 12 year old that let alone a grown, albeit disabled, adult.)

Its amazing how this mother expects to give her children the benefit of the doubt, and yet cant seem to empathize with others who have to clean up after her. I mean we get this long winded post about how her and her children have been victimized, including hear-say from her child(who, she admits, is a thief) which just reaks of BS... yet no mention of the the people who need to follow her kids, not only making sure they dont rip the place off, but also re-assemble the stuff they have opened up and spread across the store(which is not a stores policy. Having worked at zellers, i can tell you first hand its people like you who i dread to see enter the store. The kids might be a pain, but the people who enabled them, and as this entire topic shows, scream bloody murder when others step in to add any semblance of parenting to their lives) and clean up any mess they leave behind.

Sorry, but your lack of parenting skills do not allow you to play the 'pity me, bit business is evil' card. And thats coming from someone who is by no means a fan of those kind of department stores to begin with(again.. i worked though. Its just as miserable to work there as it is to shop there.)

[cmag]

...

12 years old is not "A little one" at 12 years old, I was stacking hay (some days 1200 bails a day) in my moms farm because my father passed away and it needed to be done and i needed to be resposible to help my mother.

...

Clark Kent! Is that you! Remember me? We went to Smallville Senior Public School together. :cheesygri (Sorry man, couldn't resist the hay bails - I would have added "in a blizzard, without a coat or gloves, with only a toque to keep me warm." :D )


Angeltouch, as far as this issue is concerned, I will not add to the chorus, but offer the following to you for the sake of your children's future success, happiness, and wellbeing:

Yes, kids can be difficult and hard to raise at times, and one hopes that everyone who encounters them, whether they are at their best or their worst, would show maturity, strength of character, wisdom, and compassion when dealing with them. However, in the real world today, kids and adults alike will be lucky to encounter that sort person in situations where there behaviour, character, or intent is called into question.

Be thankful for this experience and use it to guide your children to display maturity, respect for themselves, others, and other's property. I am sure you have seen in the news, the tragic and unwelcome outcomes of individuals having encounters with law enforcement that should have been handled in completely different ways.

Your children will now, and in the future, like the rest of us, be judged by our conduct, demeanour, and the character traits we display when we go into the world and interact with others - and unfortunately, sometimes those "others" are stupid, disrespectful, unprofessional, and once in a while, evil. And, whether right or wrong, being different - background, colour, language, accent, style of dress, or being differently-abled - adds an extra hurdle that still must be leapt over, even in the greatest country, Canada.

You love your children, and were hurt by the events you all experienced that day. Ensure that they will not have to face any further questions about their character, behaviour, or intents, by instilling in them the self-discipline they need to succeed in life. Good parents discipline their children not because they hate them, but because they love them enough to put them on the right track.

This country, despite its flaws, offers all children the ability and opportunity (not always equal or fair - but it tries - and that's also a part of life), to pursue their highest potentials and live a beautiful life that is so rare in the rest of the world. Guide and push them to take the best advantage of the educational system, libraries, community facilities, and all the myriad of resources and assistance offered here. The cost for all this? A strong work ethic and not much more than a healthy respect for yourself, others, and the laws of this land - and half of your earnings in taxes, but I digress ;)

I'm sure that the lack of understanding you may have thought other posters were showing towards your situation, is really a misunderstanding. Language may often get in the way but to my reading, most of the other posters, like myself, genuinely offered you some guidance, that no matter how it was expressed, is for the honest benefit of your children. I hope you took this in the spirit that this was meant, and that this experience will propel you and your children to move in a direction that will allow you to achieve your Canadian dream.

Welcome to Canada - give it your best and you'll never look back!

PS - Angeltouch, although you removed your post while I was replying, I hope you stick around RFD, as you'll learn enough useful things in the forums to personally benefit from. Good luck.

[joeyjoejoe]

Wow! I'd expect that type of behavior from a 4 year old... not 12.

[TechRock]

lol you guys scare her off rfd

[RLP06]

lol you guys scare her off rfd

I think you, Jack Bauer, scared her off with your manliness

[ab20]

none?
nothing to rant about.....:mad: ?

[Cam_86]

none?
nothing to rant about.....:mad: ?

I think most people here gave her a taste of reality, and she realized just how much at fault she and her kids were...

Or maybe she expected everyone to comfort her, and thought it would be better to take it down before even more people take her for a fool...

I'm hoping for the former, but i'm guessing its really the latter.

[Jin-n-Juice]

Can anyone summarized what happened? I'm just curious.

[TechRock]

Can anyone summarized what happened? I'm just curious.

Summary from what i remember:

-OP & her 2 kids went to walmart
-OP did her own shopping while her kids play around the toy section
-one of the kid open up a package and took out a tennis ball to play
-when they were leaving, the kid forgot to put back the ball and took the ball outside with him
-security caught OP's kid
- security treated the kid and OP badly
- make fun of her when she wasnt there
- police came
- no charges
- OP felt that her kid's innocent had been taken away from him

and i think thats all..

[RLP06]

Summary from what i remember:

-OP & her 2 kids went to walmart
-OP did her own shopping while her kids play around the toy section
-one of the kid open up a package and took out a tennis ball to play
-when they were leaving, the kid forgot to put back the ball and took the ball outside with him
-security caught OP's kid
- security treated the kid and OP badly
- make fun of her when she wasnt there
- police came
- no charges
- OP felt that her kid's innocent had been taken away from him

and i think thats all..

- OP's kid was 12, not very young kid

[Jin-n-Juice]

- OP's kid was 12, not very young kid

+1
And I wouldn't let my kids run off on their own... I'd be scared they'd get kidnapped or wandered off out of the store or something......