Oh my gosh, y'all! It's a reader question that has so much background, it had to be a blog post!! Check it out!!
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First off - thanks so much for your blog - it is beyond awesome!!! (I could have taken this part out, but it's nice to hear!)
I
think I have a topic for the group that may yield some interesting
answers.
A couple of us moms went to IKEA today for lunch for the kids
and a retiree gentleman was behind us in the line. He tried to overtake
us and ended up tripping on one of the kids. He then yelled at us to
learn to take care of our kids. Well, we just gave him the look of
death and stayed mum bc no one wanted to cause a scene. He again
tripped up near one of the kids bc one of the moms went to get some
ketchup and her kids was w/ her. He yelled "G-d d----t!!!" and stormed
away. So our question was:
How do you handle a situation where a stranger questions your parenting skills and what did they question?
Which
also reminds me - last year I took my kids to Costco and we decided to
stop for a quick snack in the cafe area. An older woman scolded me for
allowing my 1 yr old daughter to sit on the table are bc "other people
put their food there." I thanked her sarcastically for her input and
turned my back on her.
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I have two answers to this question. The part of me that loves Jesus (and don't give me hate mail about being political or religious, I'm just stating a personal opinion, here) really wants to be kind and understanding and compassionate to people from a different era who aren't around kids, or even necessarily other people on a daily basis.
The more human part of me wants to whip around and go "Obviously your momma didn't raise you well since you're cursing in front of a toddler!".
The side that wins typically has a direct correlation to how much sleep I've gotten the night before.
How about you, readers? How do you handle a situation where a stranger questions your parenting skills (and what did they question)?
I am like you and it depends on how nice I feel. However, IKEA has gone to great pains to make their story family friendly AND Tuesday's are free lunch day. If he doesn't want to be around kids that would not be the day to go! I try to assume they have just had a bad day or something and not let it affect me. I do however usually end up calling a girlfriend and venting. Hang in there! You're a good Mom who just came across some grumpy people. Maybe they wish they had a cool mom like you?
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