Patti LaBelle Has Grown-Up Tantrum Over Toddler's 'Bad' Behavior

on November 16, 2011 at 1:27 PM

screaming toddler If there was one thing that really bugged me about having toddlers, it was getting an attitude from strangers over my small children behaving like small children in public. Obviously the recent Patti LaBelle lawsuit involving the singer allegedly flipping out on an 18-month-old girl and her mother (all because the child was toddling around the lobby of an apartment building) is an extreme example of this kind of thing, but even less psychotic displays of toddler intolerance are hurtful to both moms and kids.

Not to mention completely unfair. Little kids can't be expected to abide by rules for social conduct they're developmentally incapable of learning.

It's not like that 18-month-old girl decided to purposely disrupt Patti LaBelle's peaceful lobby, and I doubt her mother had any rude or malicious intent.

What's really strange to me is that LaBelle has five children of her own. I only have two, and when I see toddlers running amok, my first instinct is always to smile sympathetically at the weary-faced mom who looks like she's about to tear her hair out by the roots. (My second reaction is always to say to myself, "Thank god my kids don't do that stuff anymore!!!")

If I were that 18-month-old girl's mom, I would have sued Patti LaBelle, too.

When my kids were that age, only regular people (no celebs) hassled us, so I couldn't sue any of them. Instead, I usually ended up blowing my top (not very constructive).

Like the time two little old ladies passed me and my mid-meltdown 2-year-old daughter on the sidewalk and one of the women made a big show of covering her ears.

Never did I think I would say such things at such a loud volume to an elderly person.

Seriously, I know patience is in short supply for just about everybody these days, but it's not that tremendous a show of willpower to refrain from rolling your eyes in contempt at the mom whose 3-year-old just accidentally knocked over a pile of travel mugs at Starbucks.

In the name of human kindness, friends: Please don't pull a Patti LaBelle.

Does it drive you nuts when people give you a hard time because your kid is being a kid?

Image via Torrey Wiley/Flickr

About the author Jacqueline Burt

has written for numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites. She is easily bored and often tired, so she requires constant entertainment to keep her awake. Dance, Monkey! Dance!

Filed Under: in the news, tantrums

Comments (10)

tinypossum

on Nov 16, 2011 at 1:45 PM

It drives me nuts. My kids are pretty well behaved and I am very concious of their behavior in public and being respectful of other people, but they are kids and they do have their moments. My two-year old got mad about something in a store (still no idea what) and took off running while I was in line to pay. I had to leave my stuff and chase him down and a store clerk was just standing there giving me the stink eye like he was a wild animal or something. I really wonder if these people either have no kids or haven't had kids in so long that they've forgotten what it's like. No kid is perfect all the time.

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Brycesmommy21

on Nov 16, 2011 at 2:18 PM

I will admit that before having my son I was one of those people giving the stink eye...... Now that my son is two I am receiving the stink eye even more then I dished out!! I always told myself I would never let my kid act like that, but now I see it's easier said then done. I was at the store once when he was just barely a year old and he started to scream, LOUD! No reason at all just sat there and as loud as he could screamed. People gave me the dirtiest looks and all I could think was how the heck to you get a 13 month old to stop??

navyma23

on Nov 16, 2011 at 2:35 PM

She's a bitch. She also had her bodyguard beat up some guy at the airport because he was standing too close to her car.

The toddler part though is stupid. Kids will be kids, and the world is becoming less tolerante of kids in general. Pretty messed up if you ask me.

Nonmember comment from Helena

on Nov 16, 2011 at 4:02 PM

Patti LaBelle was probably the worst type of toddler too...

Nonmember comment from yea yea

on Nov 16, 2011 at 11:55 PM

First I would like to say that I have met Patti Labelle on several different occasions and this whole story does not sound anything like her. Patti Labelle is the sweetest person you could ever meet. She has had a spotless rep for 40 plus yrs but all of a sudden people want to come after her. You want to know why you don't hear anything about the cadet assault case anymore...because the cadet lost his case since he was the one that started the altercation. This current case will also go nowhere, the mother is just looking for money for her hurt feelings. I seriously doubt Patti Labelle did anything past asking her if she was aware of what the child was doing. Stop judging people you don't know. Maybe the baby was doing something dangerous an Patti stepped in to say something so the child wouldn't get hurt, and what did the mother say to Patti to make her supposedly fly off the handle? "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." None of us were there so we can't judge either party involved.

Nonmember comment from WYLD STYLZ

on Nov 17, 2011 at 12:04 AM

What amazes me is how fast you are to condemn Ms. LaBelle without any factual evidence to substantiate what she has actually been accused of. In addition to this, who would wait in excess of a year to file a lawsuit against a celebrity unless, this said celebrity, had a suit filed against her 6 months ago by a drunken, silver spoon fed brat with an attitude that screams, "I am entitled, so I can do what I want"? Would it lead you to believe that in the eyes of the accuser, that claim may lend some credibility to her suit? Additionally, several journalist have wasted time to write articles to crucify the American treasure we call, Patti LaBelle, but yet, no media outlets blast Lada Gaga, Rihanna and many other entertainers for being the culprits that are leading our youth to hell in a handbag with their outlandish behavior, vulgarity and highly publicized, sexually charged performances. For the record, Ms. LaBelle has given countless hours of her time, money and her name to numerous charitable organizations to help people in the U.S. and abroad. Her tireless efforts to help AIDS researchers, diabetes research and aid to foreign nations stands a testament to the woman she really is, not what some media outlets is now making her out to be. Respect that! So before you throw stones in your glass house, make sure you've done your part to make this world a little better when you leave it, than when you came. If not, just live and stay quiet.

Nonmember comment from N

on Nov 17, 2011 at 12:27 AM

Nobody else thinks your screaming little rugrat is cute. It's not the kid's fault, it's the parent's fault. Yes, little kids are little kids, and that's okay. But if you can not or will not correct bad behavior, the rest of us would prefer you keep them at home. I worked at Borders for three years, and there are people out there that regularly let their kids do stuff I'd not have been able to sit for a week if I'd pulled with my parents. You don't have the right to let your children run rampant in public just because it makes your life easier. The most effective way to deal with people like that in my experience is to loudly mock and deride the parents in front of everyone. Once THEY start feeling uncomfortable they generally leave. That being said, I really do like kids. They're going to get themselves in trouble now and then, and people really ought to show patience about it. Kids don't know any better. That's what parents are there for.

keriley1

on Nov 17, 2011 at 9:46 PM

It is one thing if the parent is actively doing something about it, but its another when the parent obviously doesn't give a crap. There is NOTHING more annoying then a screaming kid that is running wild and the mom or dad just stands there like nothing is happening. Get a friggen handle on it. I have a purse full of crap specifically to keep my 23 month old occupied, if she keeps throwing a fit and none of my tricks work, its spankin time and she minds as soon as she hears the word spankin. If people didn't let their kids run all over them then the world would be a quieter (and later in their life safer) place.

Nonmember comment from Amber

on Nov 19, 2011 at 9:03 PM

My daughter is generally very well behaved but she does have her normal 3-yr-old moments. We were at the libray one day and while I was trying to look at the movies she wanted to show me the fish tank. She wasn't whispering but she definitely was not being loud. However this witch of a lady that works there decided to reprove us by saying loudly and rudely " THIS IS A LIBRARY!" It just really ticked me off because I am proud of how well behaved my daughter is and all the rest of the library staff know us by name and a super friendly. Everytime we go there now I can't help but groan and roll my eyes when I see she's working.

Nyctimene

on Dec 22, 2011 at 3:40 AM

Yes, and Nonmember comment from N is a perfect illustration of why. Inevitably some cashier always has stories of the ten million children they've seen running amuck, doing lines of cocaine off books at Borders, driving around in a non-electric SUV and whatever else they make up to exaggerate the fact that they saw a few kids run a few feet ahead of their parents or investigate a book on a shelf or a couple babies cry (because it's so abnormal for babies to cry, dammit!)

You weren't any better as a child, no matter how much you insist that you were. You cried at inopportune moments for your parents and annoyed them with your whining in stores and grabbed and touched things too. It's human nature. It didn't make you bad or 'out of control' anymore than it makes today's kids. You were just lucky enough not to run into anyone like...well...you, who felt that it was their place to scowl and harass children and parents (why are you in the public service industry anyway?). ;-)