I hate it when...

I work for a home visiting social service agency. Guess what we do? PARENT EDUCATION! We start a few months prior to birth and continue home visiting until the little munchkin is 3-5 years old! Someone is out there trying to teach parents how to teach their children boundaries, even if the parents don't have any.

Now, I've only done two public events so far, and haven't had any problems (parents were successful at wrangling their children away from supplies). But, I imagine I'd handle parents and kids who don't know how to keep hands to themselves the same way. Lightly but directly say, I'm sorry, but you can't touch the things on my table... can I help you with something... or you need to go wait with your parents. It's okay to respectfully set boundaries with your belongings.

One thing I have noticed is parents taking off while I'm painting. Like they assume I am capable of being responsible for their child should the zombie apocolypse occcur (or any other emergency). Does this happen to anyone else?

They don't often take off for me, but they usually want to see what's happening... or at the Farmer's Market where I paint on the weekends they might go across to another vendor, but it's not that busy and they are never very far... they always tell the child, "I'll be right over there."

That's basically they way I handle the kids touching my stuff, "Please don't touch that sweetheart." ... After one of my first events, one of the kids said to his mom, "she must be a mommy, she calls everyone sweetheart." ... oh if they only knew all the connotations for sweetheart in my head

I had parents leaving the child in the line, while I was painting with my front to them. Now I don't. But have had some when the child was in the chair!

Perry Noia wrote: After one of my first events, one of the kids said to his mom, "she must be a mommy, she calls everyone sweetheart." ...

hehe. That's really cute.

I hate it when people, kids or adults, keep bumping my table or chairs.
Especially the chair while someone is being painted.
I am far too nice I think when I ask them to stop.

I also hate it when someone grabs the mirror to reveal the face before I am done!

Hate when parents loudly complain about my prices! They can't just walk away, they have to let everyone else waiting know that $5 is too much for face painting, it's a rip off, etc. So rude!

Lady Jayde wrote: I'm NOT a stable person...

I LOVE you !!

Liz Caswell wrote:I also hate it when someone grabs the mirror to reveal the face before I am done!

Hate when parents loudly complain about my prices! They can't just walk away, they have to let everyone else waiting know that $5 is too much for face painting, it's a rip off, etc. So rude!

oooooh I hate that too!!! Then the kid getting painted moves their head all around cause the kid holding the mirror isn't holding it straight, then I have to nicely grab it from the kid! And say AAARRRRHH! lol kidding but I take the mirror away.


Yep, some people are sooooo rude when they express how they feel about the prices... I just think wait until they go to the zoo or sea world, then they will think my prices are fantastic compaired to a $20 crappy painting by a seasonal worker.

Hate it when I forget my sponges! Did it yesterday (for the first time). I took my skull an tiger face from my design display (but off cause a wave of tiger requests started, so I had to paint it with brushes only!) I was really happy for my #8 brushes. Mostly missed the sponges with my butterflies, but took it as a good practice in blending ;-)
There was a photographer that day, is a little bit nervous about some of the designs *lol*

MissViolet wrote:

Lady Jayde wrote: I'm NOT a stable person...

I LOVE you !!

Awww! You made me blush! Thanks!

Though I must admit, I was a bit embarrassed about how bitter I sounded when I started this thread...my goodness...and you guys let me paint children???? Seriously!
I'm surprised somebody didn't call my city police department to have me picked up! I wonder what crawled up in my butt to make me THAT bitter!

Though, I'm still nowhere near being stable...

and I won't be until I get my straight jacket tailored...

I want the same person who did Shannon's to do mine...

Sorry, but he PROMISED it was one of a kind!!

I can't offer you a lovely and personalized jacket, but I can offer you a fantastic list of meds HAHAHA

Self medication is the new shock therapy...didn't you know?

Beats a lobotomy anyday...

Shannon... tthhhbbbttttt.... I don't believe you... I think you're keeping him all to yourself...

That's okay...whatever I do while I'm running around here unrestrained will be on your conscience...

Off to run around with scissors.... blame Shannon! Ta ta~

Same as Shannon - I have an acrylic mirror sheet I tape to a convenient gazebo leg etc for them to look at themselves in and a small, well defended mirror for my OWN use on my kit table. As in, I finish the face, I reach for the mirror with 1 hand, snap a pic whilst they look, off my chair and away after I get the mirror back (if I let it out of my hand at all). At nightclub bookings I have a velcro strap to keep my mirror near me, they are sneaky in the dark...

Wow so stroppy parents in queues are quite rare in the USA? Think its more unusual for me NOT to have 1 in the UK/ HK... Had parents pinch not-so-bothered kids to make them cry (didn't work I continued packing), even had 1 cuss me out (in front of kids of course) for refusing to paint BNP & Nazi symbols on his 8 yr old boy. Turns out he (the DAD) later stole some of my kit and did it himself whilst I was on a break. Only good thing was he did return it..

my pet hates;
1) Parents (especially dads) encouraging kids to go for totally impossible faces - like, um, a nazcar/ megatron punch up - when the kid would be quite happy with a tiger and the queue is hours long

2) Kids/ parents reminding you EVERY SECOND that you haven't done the glitter/ dot/ stroke right THERE and are doing it wrong. Even when you aren't showing photos of faces for them to use. I think I need a hat with 'trust me I know what I'm doing' or 'yes that bit comes LATER' on it...

3) The adults who try to poke at my kit asking 'intelligent' questions (like isn't acrylic the best face paint ever??? NO) then loudly announce they/ their friends can do it better. Its so RUDE and serves no purpose...luckily most times the queue laughs them quiet. I quite often start chatting friendly-like to them and ask if I have ever worked with/ met these talented painters. Usually shuts them up when they realise I'm actually not bad at what I do and have had most of their 'better painter friends' enquire about lessons. Even had 1 email me for advice pretending to be her 7 year old daughter. Uh huh, wanting advice on suppliers, setting up a www for f-p and how to improve blending? I think not

[quote="Ashley Pickin"]

cassandra wrote:I can only imagine you are a better person for it. I really wonder what kids like that will be like as adults. That poor kid will probably end up in Behavior Disordered classes in school. I blame the parents.

actually as an education major, I can tell you that there is a good chance that this child will remain in normal classes due to inclusion laws. If the child is overtly disruptive, then his behavior will not be blamed on his parents, but instead on his intellectual disabilities and he will be labeled with a learning disability. That's just the way it is.

I am LD and this drives me up the wall, its sad but true, and ya the cussing thing all so get me.... I mean really? I live and work in a college town and need to remined a group of guys atlest ones to please tone it down. Funny how a group of thug looking boys will move off when a crazy lady wring a tieara, horns and bells, walks up and sweetly says "hey guys" hahah " "mmm thank you boys, bubbuy"
But what I think bugs me the most is the gender thing.. if your 5 year old boy wants a blue butterfly the so what and if your 5 year old girl wants a pirate or spider man then how cares? we arnt laying ink here!

boys with butterflies are fun LOL

I hate it when a boy gets a butterfly or a girl gets something that is a "boy thing" that the mom tries to talk them out.
It also drives me up the wall when you have a sign out that says that I am the last person in line and the people do one of two things, 1 they hand the sign down to the next person that gets in line or the moms ignore the sign and get inline anyways and the line continues to form behind them. You feel bad for the people behind them because they couldn't see the sign. The mom then say that they thought the sign didn't apply to them.

-I paint at the boardwalk every weekend at a permanent booth and have the prices displayed on every design, yet I still get people that walk up and ask how much they are. I simply say "the prices are next to each one."

-I usually put my mirror under my register so no one can touch it but ME. When I do festivals I have a full length mirror I clamp to the tent leg furthest from me so kids can stand in front of the mirror all day without being in my way.

-I did Mardi Gras this past weekend in Galveston and everyone kept asking for glitter, as if they didn't see me put it on the person before them.

-and finally I'm so tired up people coming to my booth at the boardwalk, where there's a big 5 foot sign that says Face Painting, asking if it's tattoos or henna. Not to mention asking how long do they last, like I'm gonna walk around with my face painted like a tiger for a week.

The one thing that ticks me off, is when the event organizers do NOT follow thru on their obligations for things like line control, location and expected patrons. When the organizer shows up 5 minutes before I am to be done and tells me I to close my line down, something that was to be done by their volunteers who were to do the line control. After you announce the line closure, your swarmed by parents, children and the event coordinator taping her toe as you try to maintain your professionalism.

Does anyone else struggle with professionalism? It's your business, you make the choices, but sometimes.........some situations........you wanna scream, but you've gotta keep your cool and be "professional"

Does anyone hire their own "wrangler" ? Would it be worth it to pay say a college student with a decent build and a strong personality to do line control, keep grubby mitts off of your property (ugh !!) and tamp down anyones desire to get in your face? Just thinking out loud.

I don't hire one, I'm mean enough to guard my own kit, plus I set up tactically so its pretty hard for anyone to touch it.

But as said I'm fairly big, ex-teacher ex-bar manager so I tend to be able to deal with it. At stuff liek the Rugby 7s they give me line mangers and TBH some are NOT that helpful, even when they have done it before and are well briefed. You know, they encourage people to ask for daft things, don't check they CAN be painted (ie not allergic) or aren't any use at controlling the queue...

Only thing they are (hopefully) always god for is taking the money & giving change, frees you up.

I hate it when you book a party and the mom calls constantly asking questions and trying to plan every detail like wanting to see every face that you plan on offering to paint and balloons that you might make. And when they get your voicemail, they leave messages that are 8 minutes long and then they send you an email with the same information in it.

yay....

I love it when you get to a "carnival" party and there are a gagillion kids and parents squeezed into a TINY house and and one of the kids wants a skull painted, so you do. Then after the party, the mom complains that you had agreed to only paint "carnival" themed faces, and the skull was unacceptable. Then the check that they give you bounces.

yay....