Those of you who know me, or have read most of my posts know that I'm a non-confrontational, let you walk all over me kind of a person, particularly in public. So imagine my surprise when I found myself seething and hissing through my teeth at a stranger the other day.
Teagan and I went with some friends to an indoor play place specifically designed for toddlers. You can read about our otherwise resplendent visit HERE. Right here is where you'll get the dirt on my run in and an uncharacteristic tirade/venting session.
I was sitting across the room, keeping my eye on Teagan from a distance, letting her have some independence, since we're on top of each other all day every day. She was content jumping in and out of the ball pit. Until she saw a girl reading a Dora book. When it comes to Dora, she reminds me of a horse with blinders. She doesn't see anything surrounding the item (like ahem, the owner) she just goes for it. I saw her notice it and got right up because I knew what was about to happen. She grabbed it just before I got there, so I was ready to help her hand it back to the little girl and apologize. I was too late, however, and the girl's mother was on Teagan like a fat kid on a piece of cake. She furrowed her brows, shook her finger and yelled very angrily "You DON'T take things from other kids!" and proceeded to snatch the book out of Teagan's hands. That's when I got there. I apologized and had Teagan say she was sorry, and told the lady I would handle it. This mother ignored me and got in Teagan's face, wagging her finger and repeating "You DON'T take things from other kids!" I don't think so, stranger.
"I've GOT it. Thank you." I grimaced and hissed it through my teeth so as not to yell and picked Teagan up and walked away, which I saw as the only alternative to punching this woman in the face.
Granted, I get incredibly defensive when I see Teagan being picked on (like when she was 18 months and a 6 year old put his shoe on her forehead and kicked her away because he didn't want her to be there) so I can appreciate that this mother didn't like that her daughter had something snatched from her. I get that. What I don't get is her thinking that she can yell at my daughter and step in as a parent a) when she's a complete stranger and b) when I'm standing there. That's what got my dander up.
Even though I'm relatively new to the parenting game, I understand that there isn't a "right" way to parent and that my ways aren't any better than her ways, only different. What she might have seen as an "I'm going to make you see how it feels" approach, I saw as an "it's okay for me to snatch things from you, but you can't do it to other people."
Not wanting to leave with a bad taste in my mouth (or an enemy) I mustered the courage (and self-restraint) later to go up to her and explain that Teagan just turned 2 and that we're working on manners and sharing. Someone else thought she was 4, so I assumed that she thought she was older and therefore more capable of understanding. "Oh, I totally get that. We're going through the same thing," was her reply and I suppose you could say we ended things on a good note.
You may think I'm silly for getting so worked up about something so small, and you may tell me that I am in for a rude awakening when she goes to school and is subject to other people disciplining her. And I believe that's an entirely different situation. Just hoping no one else pokes the Mama Bear anytime soon. My alter ego is scary.
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