Please be advised before you read this that I am a jerk. Ok, read away.
Yesterday Sophie had her first occupational therapy appointment (to build strength in her little fingers and hands), at the same place she gets speech therapy. The appointment (which will occur the same time every week) was late afternoon so I had Joshua with me as well.
As I was parking the car, I saw a woman with two boys, probably ages seven-ish and nine-ish, walking in. Both boys were drinking 20 oz. bottles of A&W root beer.
This is the point where I began judging her.
I had never been to the therapy center in the afternoon before, and as soon as we walked in, I was chagrined because the waiting room was PACKED FULL of “big kids”. After-school appointment time. Ugh. There were literally two seats left in the waiting room, one for me and one for Joshua. Mine was of course, next to the woman with the root beer-chugging boys. And even though I am approximately 30 feet wide and there was approximately 30 inches of space for me, she didn’t try to accomodate me at all or even look up. You know that little shift you do when you are in close quarters with a stranger, to try and make sure that each of you has as much personal space as possible? Yeah, didn’t happen. AND she had a giant binder of work-related matter in her lap that was totally taking up some of my personal space and she didn’t give a rat’s @$$.
There is a TV in the waiting room, which is never on, which I am thankful for, because I really don’t want Sophie watching “whatever is available” in the waiting room.
Of course by the time I sat down, root beer-chugging nine-year-old was trying to turn it on and loudly complaining that something was wrong with it while his mother was busy ignoring him. Then, he said, “Oh someone unplugged it! That was dumb!” (Personally, I think it was genius.) Then he plugged it in and turned it on. Great.
It was some weird Toy Story cartoon that freaked Sophie out. “It’s all done, Mommy,” she kept saying, while I tried to soothe her and Root Beer’s mom continued to IGNORE him. She was gave him the occasional irritated glance when he raised his voice to comment on the cartoon but that was it. After about three uncomfortable minutes where I’m sitting practically IN HER LAP and my little girl is freaking about the tv show HER kid turned on, both Sophie and Root Beer Jr. (the seven-year-old) were called back for their appointments. A bunch of other people left, and then it was just me, Mother of the Year, Joshua, and Root Beer Sr.
Mommie Dearest was typing on her smart phone when RB Sr. says, “Mom, what are you doing?”
“I’m WORKING.” she spat back, as if to say, “The sound of your voice makes me want to kill myself.”
RB Sr. continued: “But I saw you smile.”
MD came back with the ever-loving, “OH, so I’m not allowed to SMILE when I work?”
By this time I had claimed one of the other empty seats in the waiting room, where although I wasn’t sitting on Mommie Dearest’s lap, I still had a front-row seat to her kid trying to get her attention and her loudly letting him know that he was not worthy of it.
Now, I will say that he *was* being a little irritating, but I think I know why.
When Sophie’s appointment was over, RB Jr. also came out and RB Sr. went back with one of the therapists. I got my kids and got the heck out of there! I was relieved I didn’t have to sit for another 30 minutes and listen to some more fun family banter.
But there’s always next Tuesday at 4:30! Can’t wait for the next episode of “I treat my kids like crap in public”. Hopefully I’ll keep being a member of the studio audience and don’t work my way up to stardom.
And I really hope that lady doesn’t read this blog.
A little bit of my hope for the world fades away when I see that kind of thing. I love my work and its often a struggle to find the energy to be enthusiastic with it and my Molly. But, there’s only one person who gets to be mommy to my little girl. Thanks for the reminder to be more mindful of the tone and feeling I put in my words with my kid.
Also: Next time may be different. You may have been seeing worst day ever in that family, here’s hoping!
I was so upset when I took my kids to a park to play with them and this dad and son came on riding their bikes. The dad was on the phone the entire time and only spoke to this son once the whole time they were there, never interacted him,…It took all my patience not to say anything to him, as I PLAYED and ran with my kids.
Aw, you’re not a jerk at all. This story reminded me so much of me…not the mean mommy but the irritated at other parents who act like they don’t want to be parents at all! Now, I’m far from perfect but I see this scenario often. It’s sad. Fill your kids up with sugar and ignore them. Awesome!
Nicole
LOL! You are so not a jerk… I love it! And I hope she read this. Rude and… ut oh, you almost had be judging too. 😀 I hope next week is better.
Once I heard a mother call her son a “retard” he was no older then 3. I totally judged and gave her a dirty look.
Here’s hoping that they cancel next weeks appointment! lol
I hope she does read this blog! She needs to see what UP and do a better job of Mommin it!
UP
So is it bad that I just gave my kids an irritating glace and told them to go play cuz I was reading your blog? oops. at least i was in the privacy of my own home and nobody to think ill of me 😉
E, it’s totally ok if you do it in private! 🙂 Seriously my beef was how she was so public about it. Poor kid. I was humiliated for him.
I actually had a friend (note the tense: “had”) who was SO nasty to her children (especially her tiny, tiny three year old son) that it ultimately caused me to cut ties to her and end the friendship. I think caustic moms are just so, so, unnatural and abhorrent.
Oh goodness, the way some people act.. I can imagine that as a working mom, she has to do what she can when she has the chance, but come on. That is just taking it a little too far!! Hope she’s not there next week- or in a better mood!
Yeah, never mind that mom might have been having a hard day both at work and with the kids. That could NEVER be the problem, could it? Maybe the kid had been working the mom’s nerves all day because she’s a WAHM who never gets a break to talk to other adults too? The kids always know what buttons to push.
I’m a SAHM to a wonderful little boy, but that also means I never, honestly never, get time to myself. I’ve been kicked out of play groups because of how badly my son acts in public. No amount of talking or discipline works on him. You don’t know if this mom is going through the same thing.
Everyone out there that says I’m so lucky to be in such a wonderful position has blinders on, IMO. I’m lucky if his grandparents take him to church for a few hours once a week. Normally they can’t be bothered and since I’m a SAHM we can either afford a night out OR a babysitter. It gets frustrating and even lonely.
Try to think of it from the mom’s perspective a little. You have no idea what’s going on that you haven’t seen.