The Parent Police
Or, another episode of What I Should Have Said to the Bitch.
This has only happened to me a couple of times, so when it does I'm in such shock that I'm usually left hanging for an appropriately bitchy response. Today I took Sam over to the mall to get out of the house for a while. He loves to walk around the mall to look at things and ride up and down the escalators. He's generally very well-behaved (today was no exception) and he was happy and excited and "flirting" with all of the female sales associates. We were at Nordstroms and I wanted to do one lap around the shoe department to see what was new. This woman was sitting in a chair trying on shoes, and had leaned her crutches against the chair so they were sticking out in the aisle. Sam likes to show me things, and had picked up a shoe from the display on the other side of the aisle for me to see, and didn't see her crutches behind him and accidently kicked them. I was holding onto his hand all this time, and as quickly as I could took the shoe from him, put it back in the display and moved him away from where her crutches were still blocking half the aisle, while telling him well within her earshot, "Honey, watch where you're stepping! Be careful please."
So we get a few feet away, and stop to look at something at a display table (which is now in between her and us), and several seconds later she turns around in her chair and says in one of those haughty, fake polite voices, "Will you PLEASE WATCH him!" and then because apparently she thinks I'm stupid, says again "Will you PLEASE WATCH him." I assume she's referring to my son, who I have by the hand (and had the entire time) and is standing there doing nothing. I just blinked a couple of times and said "we're leaving now." It's not like he was misbehaving. He just tripped over her fucking crutches. And I'd already moved him well out of range several seconds before. Where do people like this get off???? I know some parents do let their kids run amok in public, but that's not us. We always are consicous of his behavior and take pains to be sure he's not disturbing anyone, or we remove him. Gah.
posted by Susan B @ 6:59 PM
3 Comments:
People like that are so clueless. And they can cast such a shadow over an otherwise sunny day.
Just think, however, that you can walk out of the store and be away from her. Her family are stuck with her almost full time.
Yes, it seems like she must be a rather difficult and miserable person to be around. I was saying to Doug, "where are those screenwriters in my head when I need a snappy comeback???" but I don't think even the most spot on remark would've penetrated her sense of entitlement.
I would be *delighted* if I heard a parent telling his/her child to be careful; it seems like so many parents now don't notice and/or don't care what their child is doing that may be annoying others. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with Sam. Ten years old--wow!
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