I almost threw down with a another mom at our interactive infant reading time at the local library today. Yea, you hear right - infant reading time. See they have this play time at the end when they put out a bunch of musical toys and turn on some background music. I'm a big advocate of letting kids just play in settings like these and not interfering too often in the interaction unless the munchkin is about to hurt another kid (poke an eye, step on a baby, etc). Even when the inevitable toy-taking happens, I still think a hands-off approach is best for now. At this age, they are just learning to interact and I don't expect a one year old to understand ownership, sharing or boundaries the same way an older toddler would.
Anyway, Little C grabbed a hand bell and was happily playing with it when another little girl (whose mom was off in a corner chatting it up and not paying attention) came up to him and took it away from him. He looked at me ready to cry and I just said "that was so nice of you to share sweetie!" and handed him another toy. The same little girl then tried to take that toy away. She got it away from him for a split second, but he immediately reached out and grabbed it back, and frankly this time I let him.
Out of nowhere, the little girl's mom storms up and grabs the toy away from Little C and hands it to her daughter and then turns to scold MY son wagging her finger and saying, "No no, she was playing with this first". I was furious, it was all I could do not to actually yank the toy back and smack this woman. Instead, I (maybe not so) politely told the woman that her daughter actually took the chimes from my son. The mom then replied (a little too loudly in my humble opinion), "no she didn't! I saw him take it from her!" To which I replied (through extremely clenched teeth), "no ma'am, if you had actually been here watching your daughter, you would have seen her take the chimes from him first."
She picked her daughter up and huffed back to her little friend in the corner who I'm sure then heard a story about how I was the most horrible woman in the world, but what can I say, you mess with my kid, you mess with me. I mean who in heck do you think you are scolding my son while I'm sitting RIGHT THERE?!?!?!?!
So bring it on lady! This library ain't big enough for the both of us!
3 comments:
HOLY COW! I give you credit because I would have definitely said some regrettable things, I'm sure! LOL As my husband puts it, I would have "gone redneck" on her and later I would have had to explain to our child why mommy was wrong. hee hee I can't stand it when parents come to things like that and basically just "drop" their kids and ignore them the whole time.
Erica
Gina, I'm dying reading this. You're cracking me up. :)
You go girl!
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