....can ruin a perfectly good trip to Ikea. Yes, my outing the other day ended in hurt feelings and doubt about my parenting.
My friend Doris invited me to a trip to Ikea. Although I usually enjoy an Ikea outing, I didn't really want to join her. Lately, outings with friends in Germany have been stressful for me. For some reason, my kids plus her kids equals choas. So, I decided to take just Sadie.
After making the Ikea rounds, my friend asked me to watch the kids in the children's furniture section of the store, while she made her purchase. I should have said "no," or rather "nein," but I am still working on that weakness.
To make the story short. While I was thinking about how I got myself into the situation, Sadie darted across the aisle nearly slamming into a mother who was carrying a child, of about 1-2 years old. Now, no contact was made, no one hurt, but I got a lecture on my parenting. The last comment she made while walking away was, "now really, it is a shame how you are raising your children."
Of course, I had all of these great combacks running around in my mind, "like isn't shameful how you are speaking," and "according to the laws of physics my daughter (40 pounds) would have been flattened by your 140 pounds,' but I have learned that I feel worse if I do manage to utter those type of backlashes. Soooo....I ended with a shrug of my shoulders and a sorry spoken in english.
3 days ago
3 comments:
Man there's a time when you wish you didn't speak german eh? Man kind of grumpy eh? Nicole, I think you're a wonderful mother! And the fact that I truly miss your children is proof. See if they were horrible little monsters, I wouldn't miss them. They are delightful and well mannered and that woman needs to take a chill pill.
Man, seriously, people are rude! I say in Ikea all bets are off. No one's kids behave. Even when they are, you constantly have to move them out of people's way and whatnot. I've had rude remarks there too. At least it wasn't your friend that said that!
Never let someone else dictate how you judge your own parenting skills. And good for you for taking the high road! Imagine what that other child is learning from her mother's behavior.YOUR child is the one that will grow up respectful and courteous because of your example.
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