10 Times People Didn’t Tolerate the “They’re Just Kids” Excuse

Many of us heard it, “They’re just kids!” used as an excuse to brush off bad behavior. But sometimes, that phrase is more of a cop-out than a valid reason. From bratty meltdowns to full-blown chaos, these stories prove that age doesn’t always equal innocence. Here are the moments people decided enough was enough.

1.

• When I was at the park, a kid (around 11 years old) next to me kept staring at me. I looked at her and smiled, but suddenly she asked, “Ew, why are you so ugly?”
  I looked her in the eyes and said, “I’m actually you from the future.” She started to cry so loud, and her mom glared at me. I glared back. Neither of us apologized.

2.

• “I used to work security at a hospital, and my booth was next to vending machines with candy that would agitate the hell out of kids. Kids have no finesse, and kids crying for candy are really annoying.
  So any time I would hear the parent had decided no, but the kid kept on crying, I would walk out in my intimidating all-black security uniform, with the radio and huge keychains, and inform the kid that the vending machine is actually out of order. Every single time, they would calm down for good. I believe I was a good security guard.” © birkir / Reddit

3.

• “I used to work at a women’s shelter. Christmastime rolls around and a man and his sour-puss teenaged son comes to the door. He says his son would like to donate some items to the kids staying at the shelter. Great!
  The man and his son start hauling in some expensive items. There was an X-Box, a bunch of games, a flat screen, iPod, cool headset, etc. Turns out the kid ran his mouth and the Dad made him give everything to the kids. Christmas was pretty cool for our gang that year.” © tiredold***** / Reddit

4.

• I went to a museum and one kid was screaming and slapping exhibits. A staff member asked the mom to control him, and she snapped, “He’s just a child!”
  The staff replied, “And this is a historical artifact from 1834. It doesn’t care how old he is.” The kid and her mother left after that.

5.

• “On the first day of a two-week vacation, I saw my spoiled 10-year-old cousin tell his mother, his older female cousin, his aunt and his grandmother that he wasn’t going to clear his place or rinse his dishes because ‘that’s women’s work.’
  For the rest of that two-week vacation, nobody had to lift a finger to clear a plate, rinse a dish or wash a pot because it was his job. At times there were over a dozen of us there.” © meinmanhattan / Reddit

6.

• “Was at a family event for my girlfriend at the time. One of her cousin’s kids was just running around making a ruckus in spite of the numerous times his parents told him to settle down. Eventually, he took an interest in the motion activated glade air freshener on a counter. (It had been turned off because it would be spraying nonstop with all the people around).
  So this little 6-year-old is standing on his tiptoes ignoring the constant warnings of ‘don’t touch that, please’ and reeeeeaching over pushing buttons and eventually it happens. He flips the switch to ’on’ and 3 seconds later gets a direct blast of Glade to the face.” © ****Kilometre / Reddit

7.

• At my son’s birthday party, one of his friends blew out the candle before my son had the chance to. The parents laughed and said, “He’s just excited!” I was pissed.
  On the second try, I lit the candle and we sang again. This time, I quietly blocked his friend’s mouth with my hand so he couldn’t blow first. The room clapped, my son was happy, and the other boy started crying.

8.

• “A kid in the mall wearing those Heelie shoes (the ones with wheels) was zooming in and out of crowds and cutting people off. Suddenly, I hear him exclaim, ‘Watch this!’ to his buddy. He immediately lost control and fall.” © One_Rabid_Duck / Reddit

9.

• “I waited tables in a breakfast diner a few years back. Two ladies come in and tow one of their kids along, a chubby boy with gold chains and a nice watch (kid is probably 10-11, for reference)
  Mom is clearly very tired of dealing with him as he is very demanding, blurts out what he wants before I can say hi, etc.
  Partway through the meal, he holds up his Sprite cup and shakes it at me, and utters only the word ‘more!’ Mom looks aghast and chastises him for being rude, to which he begrudgingly apologizes. I shrugged and told him, ‘Don’t apologize to me, apologize to your mom.’
  Was a little worried when I came back around with his Sprite and saw his salty, hot tears streaming down his chubby face. Mom left me a ten on a 30 dollar bill, however, so I think she was happy with my service :D” © Shardicar / Reddit

10.

• “One day playing at the park when we were kids, my neighbor decided to use her sharp nails to scratch all the other girls (we were all under 10 at the time). I don’t remember being scratched myself, but my sister had some awful red streaks down her back. My mom was livid and went to tell off the girl’s mom about her daughter’s crazy behavior.
  It turned into a shouting match. I guess my mom won because the other mom went into her house and came back a few minutes later, with her daughter’s nail trimmings. She gave them to my mom. Gag.” © Qwertyz13 / Reddit

Kids will be kids, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has to suffer for it. Have you ever called someone out despite the “just a kid” excuse? Share your story in the comments!