• Home
  • Ask Didi
  • FAQs
  • How Tos
  • Be Your Best
  • Meet The Challenge
  • About Didi
  • “NEWPORT ETIQUETTE”
  • Home
  • Ask Didi
  • FAQs
  • How Tos
  • Be Your Best
  • Meet The Challenge
  • About Didi
  • “NEWPORT ETIQUETTE”
  • Negligent Parent — Parenting
  • Creative Etiquette Solutions

You may also be interested in:

Dirty Talk — Conversation Etiquette
How To Be The Best Guest
White Jeans In February?
Negligent Parent — Parenting

My question is about neglectful parenting.

What would you have said to a negligent parent who without asking left his six-year-old with you while you were having a beach day with your children. I was reading in my beach chair next to my three kids who were happily playing by the water’s edge dribbling sand castles when a father and daughter appeared out of nowhere and joined in the play. After about ten minutes the father said he would be right back and left the child with us. Without him ever having said that he was going to the restroom or to find some drinking water, I looked up from my book and trustingly said, “OK.” 
 
To my consternation the father disappeared! I began to worry that this man whom, I might add, I had never seen before, had been run over in the parking lot or drowned in the ocean. I didn’t even know his name and we never got to speak about anyone we knew in common.
After two hours I ran into him at the bar where I was getting cold water for all the kids. He didn’t apologize.

–Name Withheld

Should you find yourself in a possible neglectful parenting situation again, quickly pipe up and say, “The tide’s coming in and we’re about to move on shortly, so don’t be long.”

Don’t be apologetic, but you can ask his name by introducing yourself first and asking him where you can find him if he’s not back in twenty minutes.

Create a boundary by setting a time limit to his absence.

~Didi

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Please give us a try and subscribe to the NewportManners.com newsletter!

As you’ve shown an interest in Newport Manners & Etiquette, Didi Lorillard thought you may wish to subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe at any time. Thank you ever so much!

* indicates required

 

more_topics

Featured
"Party Chic"
Accepting A Compliment
Acknowledgements
Addressing
Addressing
Adult Child
Adult Children

see more…
Wedding
Who To Invite
Welcoming Dinner
Weddings
Wedding Shower
Wedding Registry
Wedding Reception Dinner

see more…
Relationships
Adult Child
After the Break Up
Allergies
Breaking Up
Bullies
Children

see more…
Office/Business
Cubicle Etiquette
Dress Code & Grooming
E-Mail Etiquette
Employer-Employee
Interview Tips
Office Parties

see more…
Ask Didi
your étiquette question
Explore
Didi’s collection of responses
discover
How To...
POPULAR TOPICS
  • Codes + Conduct
  • Awkward Situations
  • Dilemmas
  • Entertaining
  • Wedding
  • Relationships
  • Manners
  • Tricky Conversations
  • Sticky Social Situations
  • Family
  • Dress Code
  • Conversation Etiquette
We only do well the things we like doing. ~Colette

Our Newsletter

As you've shown an interest in Newport Manners & Etiquette, Didi Lorillard thought you may wish to subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe at any time. Thank you ever so much!

* indicates required



 

  • Home
  • FAQs
  • How Tos
  • Be Your Best
  • Meet The Challenge
  • About Didi
  • “NEWPORT ETIQUETTE”
  • Sitemap
© 2014 All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact didi@newportmanners.com site design AtlanticGraphicDesign.com