Happened last week:
I was shopping at Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale. This is the only time I can afford their stuff, so I tend to try to stock up when it rolls around.
I'm happily perusing the 75 percent off shower gel area, when a lady and her friend walk in. One of the women has a boy toddler in a stroller. I'd peg the kid to be between 2 and 3 years of age.
All of a sudden, the kid lets out an ear piercing scream. We are talking that wake-the-dead, grab a gun, duck-for-cover sort of scream that is usually reserved for B horror movies.
People gave a few startled looks at the woman and her friend. She kept shopping.
The kid screams some more. Getting increasingly louder with each breath.
She kept shopping.
At this point, a few people were visibly uncomfortable with the shrill wailing. I was not one of them. I was somewhat appalled that the woman didn't seem to take notice of her child, but having raised two boys (one being ADHD), my ears have grown numb to the sounds of tantrums YEARS ago.
*Side note: Unlike many EW parents, I didn't subject the public to Danny's screeching. If I couldn't find someone to watch him, I didn't go out unless it was urgent.
Anyway, the woman next to me utters "Jesus" under her breath and glanced at me, wide eyed. I just shook my head and tsked.
It gets better.
The kid managed to get the stroller's safety belt undone and has managed to lift himself up and out of the stroller. He then proceeded to throw himself to the floor and added kicking and beating his fists to his repertoire.
Mom FINALLY glances up and says: "Johnny. Stop it."
Calmly. Just like that. No move to place him back in the stroller, or quiet him or...you know... LEAVE THE FREAKIN' STORE. Just, tells him to stop it.
Johnny didn't stop it.
He then gets up, goes over to a display of perfumes (many of which were in glass containers), and begins tugging on the cloth display that they sat on. Bottles and containers of perfume and lotions go flying, tumbling to the floor, a couple of which landed *on* the screaming kid.
One of the employee's gasped and went to grab the items and looked pointedly at the mother and said, 'Is your son ok?'.
Mother of the year replies: "What? Oh, he fine!" (Yes, HE fine. Not HE'S fine. Gotta love it.)
The employee began straightening the items that had fallen, and the mother FINALLY gathers up little Johnny (still wailing and flailing his body) and saunters out of the store, like she hadn't a care in the world.
A few customers (myself included) breathed an audible sigh of relief once they left.
Now I ask you, WHAT THE HELL could be so important at Vic's Secret that would make it worth all of that?
Seriously, ya'll. It takes a lot to shake me up, especially when it comes to kids- but this was just....such a sad indicator of some of the EW parenting of today.
It makes me weep for our future.
I was shopping at Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale. This is the only time I can afford their stuff, so I tend to try to stock up when it rolls around.
I'm happily perusing the 75 percent off shower gel area, when a lady and her friend walk in. One of the women has a boy toddler in a stroller. I'd peg the kid to be between 2 and 3 years of age.
All of a sudden, the kid lets out an ear piercing scream. We are talking that wake-the-dead, grab a gun, duck-for-cover sort of scream that is usually reserved for B horror movies.
People gave a few startled looks at the woman and her friend. She kept shopping.
The kid screams some more. Getting increasingly louder with each breath.
She kept shopping.
At this point, a few people were visibly uncomfortable with the shrill wailing. I was not one of them. I was somewhat appalled that the woman didn't seem to take notice of her child, but having raised two boys (one being ADHD), my ears have grown numb to the sounds of tantrums YEARS ago.
*Side note: Unlike many EW parents, I didn't subject the public to Danny's screeching. If I couldn't find someone to watch him, I didn't go out unless it was urgent.
Anyway, the woman next to me utters "Jesus" under her breath and glanced at me, wide eyed. I just shook my head and tsked.
It gets better.
The kid managed to get the stroller's safety belt undone and has managed to lift himself up and out of the stroller. He then proceeded to throw himself to the floor and added kicking and beating his fists to his repertoire.
Mom FINALLY glances up and says: "Johnny. Stop it."
Calmly. Just like that. No move to place him back in the stroller, or quiet him or...you know... LEAVE THE FREAKIN' STORE. Just, tells him to stop it.
Johnny didn't stop it.
He then gets up, goes over to a display of perfumes (many of which were in glass containers), and begins tugging on the cloth display that they sat on. Bottles and containers of perfume and lotions go flying, tumbling to the floor, a couple of which landed *on* the screaming kid.
One of the employee's gasped and went to grab the items and looked pointedly at the mother and said, 'Is your son ok?'.
Mother of the year replies: "What? Oh, he fine!" (Yes, HE fine. Not HE'S fine. Gotta love it.)
The employee began straightening the items that had fallen, and the mother FINALLY gathers up little Johnny (still wailing and flailing his body) and saunters out of the store, like she hadn't a care in the world.
A few customers (myself included) breathed an audible sigh of relief once they left.
Now I ask you, WHAT THE HELL could be so important at Vic's Secret that would make it worth all of that?
Seriously, ya'll. It takes a lot to shake me up, especially when it comes to kids- but this was just....such a sad indicator of some of the EW parenting of today.
It makes me weep for our future.
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