Grainne,
I just want to say THANK YOU on behalf of all the mommies having a bad day. Parenting is HARD sometimes. Sometimes people have special needs kids who don't behave in the same way average children do. It must be horrible to be judged by other people on a day like that.
Being a parent to a difficult kid taught me to be a better person.
Well, I've certainly had my share of days when I just wanted to burst into tears and be hugged by my mama.
Plus, life is what happens when a person is busy making other plans. Sometimes a parent has to drag their tired toddler to the store or has to grab the chance to get something that's on sale that day because otherwise, there won't be enough on the table. I don't think any parent wants to go out with a tired or cranky child, it just happens.
My not-so-secret weapon is that children are almost always better behaved when someone new pays some attention to them. That gives the over-stressed mom a chance to step back, take some deep breaths and get her perspective back.
Plus, now that I have to use a wheelchair in stores, I'm more at kid height and they are often fascinated with the rolling chair.
Giving someone so stressed out a glare is just not helpful or productive. I always wonder what those people who glare think they are going to achieve? And doesn't it make them feel all angry and uncomfortable inside when they do it?
I've had more than my fair share of kindness from strangers, so I just try to pay it forward. It's easy enough for me to do and maybe it makes someone else's life a little easier.
Life is so tough, we all need whatever help we can get.
