Your Help Is Not the Kind I Want

To the lady at Wegman's today:

I realize you thought my daughter was cute, she really is darling, but I will discipline her as I see fit.  I was not yelling, nor was I scolding her harshly.  I was simply telling her that it was not okay to scribble on the advertisement circulars that were stacked on the counter.  She is four years old and knows that grabbing a pen and writing on things that she is not supposed to is not allowed.  When I tried to correct her you told her she "was fine".  It did not appear that you work at the store.  What authority do you have to tell my child that she can deface someone else's property?  I was not fluster, nor was I rude, or loud.  When my daughter heard you say she could continue, you put me in an awkward position.

As a mom, I've been criticized for not being strict enough with my children, but I can't recall ever feeling chastised for doing the right thing.  When my daughter looked up as I took the pen from her and repeated that she was not allowed to color on the flyers, she said, "but I want to."  And then she looked at you for the go-ahead.  You glared at me as if I was the meanest mommy in the world.  How dare I not let her do what she wants to!

My husband thinks I should have told you to mind your own business.  Perhaps he is right.  I am still surprised by our encounter.

I hope that you are not raising any children to believe that they can do anything they want to because they may turn out just like you.

Sincerely,

The woman with the super adorable little girl who will be taught right from wrong by her responsible parent, thankyouverymuch.

Comments

[Hussaini]

We stumbled over here from a difrnfeet web page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to going over your web page for a second time.

[Syamim]

Having been a victim in the past, remeebmr, these guys will take a couple of weeks off, and once you have shiny new computers, they will be back in two weeks to a month if they can access the door again just my own bitter experience.

[Lori (Camp Creek)]

This kind of thing happens to me all the time. I think I fall on the strict side of the Bell Curve.

I had a friend who did this so often I had to take her aside and gently point out that she was undermining my authority; she really just thought she was “smoothing things out”. Sigh.

[Casdok]

How maddening!

[Kyla]

I HATE it when people do that sort of thing. It is not helpful, AT ALL.

[jessica Bern]

Could you please come to L.A. and tell that to a few people here? Thanks. You're the best.

[tulipmom]

You tell her, Lori. If people could just mind their own damn business ....

[the weirdgirl]

People have some nerve! I would have been pissed. It always seems to be people who haven't had kids yet or are spoiling grandmothers who think they can comment, too.

[Carrie]

That would have made me shoot flames from my eyeballs at her! She needed to mind her own business - total strangers don't have the right to step in unless someone's harming a child, in my humble opinion.

[Elizabeth Channel]

Good for you. My parents do this all the time and it makes parenting around them *extremely trying.* Thanks for the inspiration!

[Kia (good enough mama)]

'Nuff said! :) People, not surprisingly, often suck. And mind others' business. And suck. Sorry you had to deal with a sucky person who minded YOUR business for you.

[Patty]

That is just wrong. That lady had no right to undermine your parenting in that way. Besides, I don't at all see why what you did would elicit that sort of response from someone. I mean, I am sometimes too lenient, but even I try to teach my kids not to deface other people's property.

[kristen]

Seriously? People are strange. That's for sure.

[Niksmom]

I think I would have had a hard time biting my tongue on that one! Sheesh.

[Laura]

This happened to me at Marshall's when Dallas was the same age. He was grabbing rolls of wrapping papper stocked at the checkout counter and was flinging them like baseball bats. This one woman behind me took me by both shoulders and very calmly said that maybe I should take ZOLOFT!! I looked at her and said that I think maybe she needs it more than me! Anyway, that is frustrating to say the least.

Wow, Wegman's! In this economy, I am so at Redner's...........sheesh!

[delilah]

Yuck. That kind of stuff drives me crazy.

[Stimey]

Ugh. That makes me mad.

[Jordan]

That's right, Lori, let her have it!

You were right.