Monday, January 17, 2011

Disconcerting

I took the kids to the store today. I normally don't that because it is hard to deal with both of them by myself. We needed an outing though and Mariska has done fairly well the last couple trips the store. Jack was sitting in the front seat of the cart and Riska was riding on the end. She has this bad habit of jumping off and on the cart. I asked her twice to stop and just as the words were coming out of my mouth the second time she fell and I almost ran over her leg with the cart. Then the tears started to flow. I explained to her that this was the exact reason I didn't like her playing on the cart like that. I told her she had lost her privilege of walking and had to sit in the cart for the rest of the trip. This started more than tears it started full on yelling and the beginnings of a tantrum. I know I am not the first one to have kids that do this but it throws me every time it happens. This was the first time it happened without John being there. I thought I was getting a handle on it by telling her that if she didn't stop we would leave and go home and I would come back after John got home from work. Then some creep came up to us and, I kid you not, said this, "You better do what your mommy says little girl or I can take you. Do you want to come with me?"
I wish that my brain had been working better at the time because I have come up with a lot of things to say to him but my main concern at the moment was Mariska. I grabbed her face and told her to look at me and ignore the man. As he is walking away he says "It's no problem my daughter is in the next aisle and she always acts like this."
Who in there right mind does that? John said I did the right thing but I am not so sure. I have things planned out to say when I hear of things like this happening to other people and then it happens and my mind goes blank. In my defense I was worried about getting my kids away from him and the situation.

2 comments:

chicklegirl said...

I think John is right; ignoring him is totally fine. If the stranger were to have become aggressive, I'm sure the "mama bear instinct" would have kicked in, and you would have been able to engage him and let him know how inappropriate his behavior was.

But why get into an altercation with a weirdo with no boundaries if you don't have to, eh?

By the way, thanks for the call the other day. I miss you, and I'm sorry I couldn't talk. I'll try and give you a call, maybe this afternoon? (((hugs)))

Sara said...

that is so super creepy. Wow... Sami refuses to sit in the cart these days and so I give her 3 chances and tell her if she is good than I will get her a treat when I pay... it usually works but it's hard... I can't not go shopping when I need to go because it's usually with out my husband so we try and make it work... but I am so sorry that, that guy said that to you.. I bet you were just so scared and apalled that someone would say that you couldn't speak! Wow so creepy!