I would be mortified to be a parent of these children that I encountered while staying at a resort property in Fiji, where I do not recall seeing more children in one place in my life outside of a school.
I Would Be Mortified to Be a Parent of These Children.
While I was dining on a whole fish for dinner one night at one of the restaurants of the resort property, a little boy was apparently enamored with the head of the fish and reached out and tried to touch it from behind me. Thankfully, the parent stopped him just in the nick of time — but what type of child would reach out with his or her disgusting fingers and try to touch the food that is on the plate of someone he or she does not know — or even does know?
If the boy was that curious, the parents should have ordered him his own whole fish that he can touch all he wants.
At the breakfast buffet in another dining venue of the resort property, a little girl approached the waffle and pancake station, which included open bowls of assorted toppings. She took the spoon of the bowl of colored sprinkles and started shoveling them directly in her mouth — one spoonful after another — with her parents initially nowhere in sight. Forget about “double dipping” — this girl passed that long ago.
The parents should have scooped the sprinkles in a clean cup, sat the girl down at a table, and let her gulp them all down — although that is not exactly a diet I would condone for anyone.
Outside of yet another dining venue at the resort property was an area where chess can be played with oversized plastic pieces. Two little boys suddenly ran into that area and immediately knocked down and repeatedly threw the chess pieces all over the place. No adult came to that area for at least 15 minutes as the two boys continuously yelled, screamed, and shrieked. Not far from me was a man holding a bottle of beer as he pointed in the general direction of where the boys may have gone to two women — who were also holding bottles of beer — even though the boys were out of his sight.
When the two women finally arrived to the area, they simply watched the boys wreak havoc and did nothing to discipline them. One of boys eventually decided that the middle of that open area was a good place to relieve himself. One of the adult women interrupted him and took him to a shrub, where she smiled and took photographs of the little brat, perhaps thinking about how cute and adorable he appeared to be as he urinated away towards that bush. She must have been so proud!
What the adults should have done was to confine the boys in their room and lecture them on manners — as well as how to behave in public settings. There is a time and place to act like wild animals — such as in the play area that is provided for them, maybe? — and a time and a place to behave properly.
They should also teach them on using a toilet when nature calls. One set of toilets were located a very short walk away.
Final Boarding Call
Travel is one of the best opportunities for children to learn about many things — including how to properly behave in public settings — to prepare them for lives as adults.
Crying due to discomfort; mesmerized by an object never before seen; asking a plethora of questions very loudly to learn; or jumping around in unbridled glee are four of many potentially irritating but understandable ways of how children act…
…but no excuse can be given for the aforementioned actions of children who were simply the product of irresponsible parents who probably should not have procreated in the first place. How any parent can not only allow those actions but actually condone them and encourage them is so way beyond my comprehension.
I am sure that all of the aforementioned actions have been conducted countless times over the years by children all over the world. That does not mean that they should be tolerated or that they are any less disgusting or annoying — and they are definitely not cute or adorable by any stretch of the imagination.
Those parents need to be more responsible and teach their children how to better behave in a public setting — as well as use discipline when necessary. Other people need not experience the bad behavior of children — or their parents, for that matter.
Breakfast started for me when the dining venue was first opened in the morning while the children were still asleep…
…and in the future, I will likely be more proactive in seeking resort properties where only adults are permitted — although some adults can potentially act worse than the brattiest of children.
I certainly wished that the children at this resort property — as well as at the other nearby resort properties — behaved even half as well as the children that were passengers aboard this airplane recently…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
