Monday, March 05, 2012

Overbearing Mothers

Overbearing mothers drive me absolutely insane.

Due to a lack of a backyard at our house, Carolyn and I spend quite a bit of time at a nearby park.

I generally let Carolyn pretty much have the run of the place - not that I don't keep my eye on her and make sure she doesn't hurt herself, but I'm not one of those mothers who is a step behind at all times.

In other words, I encourage her independence in a manner that I feel is appropriate for her age.

However, there were several mothers at the park this morning that didn't feel I was doing my mothering job sufficiently, so they stepped up to do it for me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind if people offer correction to my baby when it's needed, but when it's just kids being kids, leave my kid alone!

Carolyn likes to latch on to kids at the park being supremely confident that there is no such thing as a kid who doesn't want her following them around.

This morning it was a four-year-old boy.

Carolyn had been after him for less than three minutes when she walked up behind him and put her hand on his arm.

His mother came from out of no where yelling, "EXCUSE ME!  EXCUSE ME!  I DON'T THINK SO!  HANDS OFF, YOUNG LADY!"

I was so stunned, I didn't even know how to react.

She turned to me and said, "Is this your daughter?"

When I told her it was, she lectured me on proper parental supervision at the park and then stalked away and proceeded to tell her friend what a bad mother I am for daring to let my kid touch her kid.

Wait.

What just happened?!

Poor little Carolyn didn't even know why she was being rebuked.

And to tell you the truth, neither did I.

It was like an out of body experience.

I had no response whatsoever - until I got in my car and was driving home 30 minutes later.

By the time I got home, I had given that lady a piece of my mind.


4 comments:

Carole said...

Nice blog. You might like this poem about mothers. http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/random-quotation-spot.html

Kami D. said...

Wow. Sometimes you just want to smack some people.

Holli said...

Ew. Those sorts of moms gross me out. What was your reaction to her? I'm dying to know. I would like to think I'd give her a piece of my mind, but I'm probably more the sort to go cry in the car.

Clarissa Grover said...

There's a helicopter mom at the park nearest our house, too. She's the ONE mother who complains about all the other kids who are having a ton of fun running up the slide (as opposed to so calmly and patiently walking to the stairs, climbing them, and standing for eternity while her son just sits at the top of the slide and doesn't move..or sometimes he's not even playing on the slides and she's still griping). It's gotta suck all the fun out of being at the park when your Mom is the crazy whiner.