I went to the food court at The Mall today. It's always nice to have some human interaction versus staring at a computer screen all day. When the only voice you hear is your own for hours on end, a little chaos is a good thing. So off to The Mall I went. Thankfully, it's just right down the street and I can comfortably get there and get food in a relaxed manner and still be back on time. It's wonderful fun! So that was my plan today.
It was working wonderfully. I didn't want food. I am having a love affair with soft pretzels lately. So I pigged out, bought two, and sat down to enjoy my yummy lunch and my book. It's a food court. There are people everywhere and it's hard to find a seat that isn't close to someone. So when I set down my bag and purse close to a woman with her two children, I thought nothing of it. I don't think she did either. Well, something changed all that.
Her youngest was probably about 16-18 months while his brother was probably close to three or so. Her oldest was trying to enjoy his hot dog and french fries until I came along. He saw my pretzel bag and wanted one too. It started out quite innocently enough, "Can I have a pretzel too? I want a pretzel, Mommy." He was calm as could be and polite as well. She gave the proper mommy response in, "You haven't eaten your lunch. Eat your lunch and we'll see." This gave way to his whining, which ended in wailing. I horribly upset this child's internal balance. But at this point, I was locked into this seat without the ability to politely and gracefully leave.
I must say that the mother handled it all very well. She stood her ground and didn't budge just because her child was screaming. I tried to pretend that it didn't bother me at all. And honestly, a crying child doesn't. However, knowing that you are the reason the child is crying when you could have taken your sinful pretzels elsewhere, is a little harder to take. I applaud Mom though. She really did handle it well and the child certainly wasn't rewarded with a pretzel. I am still cringing that I caused her to be embarrassed all because I sat near with those horridly delectable treats. It was certainly never my intentions and I will take great care in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again.
2 comments:
It's not your fault that he had a tantrum. And, think of it this way, it gave Mom an opportunity to stand her ground. :)
ahhh, i think all of us have been in that situation many of times. its good to hear that the mom handled it so well...its harder to find that in parents these days.
great post...now i'm totally craving those pretzel things!
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