"Earth to Aiden!"

Guy comes in to pay a bill. Brings a toddler boy with him, who promptly runs over to the tools area while daddy ignores him. I called out to the boy, "Honey, come back over here with daddy, ok?" Daddy feebly calls out, 'Aiden, Aiden, come over here...." but boy ignores him and starts to pick up (fragile, non-toy) figurines.
I said, "Young man, put those down and come back over with your dad!" Daddy turns to me with a very pissed off look and says, sarcastically, "He's TWO, like he understands you!"
I was really taken aback; I understand a parent not wanting a stranger correcting their child, but it's simply a matter of watching your kid. Period. End of story! I understand, really, but where is your embarrassment that someone HAD to say something to your offspring?
So I said to daddy, "I assume he understands the word 'no'? That's why we have a sign on the door about kids in here."
Daddy says sarcastically, smart-assedly, and snottily, "He's two, like he can read!" I replied, "Hopefully the parents can read." (hint hint, assface!)
Daddy says, "If he breaks anything then I'll pay for it." I told him it shouldn't get to that point if he's watching his kid.
Daddy was VERY upset by this point. He's called "AIDEN, Aiden" a hundred times, and little Aiden apparently can't understand a damned thing, because he's gleefully ignoring daddy and doing whatever he damned well pleases; just as he does all the time apparently.
Finally daddy physically retrieved Aiden, which made Aiden very unhappy, which in turn pained daddy that he had to deal with bratty Aiden.
As daddy has Aiden at the counter and tries to pay his bill, I hear a crash/clink sound. Aiden has managed to latch on to several ceramic items on a shelf right behind daddy, and since daddy can't be bothered to hold onto him or even watch him, Aiden is treating our merchandise as if it's free toy day at the Dollar Store. I sighed and stood there with daddy's bill and his money, staring pointedly at Aiden until daddy was forced to address his demon spawn. He was just about boiling mad at this point, and NOT at his kid! This was fascinating to me.
If that was my child... well I can't even paint that scenario. I always kept my kid WITH me and even (gasp!) picked him up so he could not touch/break/destroy things. But this daddy apparently only cared about making the Aiden happy, not raising him properly.

I hope he enjoys the Parenting magazine free trial that should hit his doorstep within a few weeks. Not that he'll read it. Aiden will probably tear it up long before daddy sees it.