Seriously, did that just happen?
Last week I had to make a quick trip to the walk-in. This time it was for myself, not the kiddo, which was pretty strange in itself. The reason I was going? An infected belly button ring. I've had this thing for almost 13 years and all of a sudden it gets pissed at me. I'm sure what happened. It made it through pregnancy and everything. I tried to treat it to a new ring, and apparently it didn't like that. Anyway, that's what brought me to the walk-in, where "the event" happened.
I was settling in for a long wait, trying to figure out what to do with myself since all of the magazines had been removed from the waiting room due to H1N1 fears (yes, I'm serious). And I of course forgot to bring a book. I was siting there wondering if the clinic had free Wi-Fi and trying to advert my eyes from the mother and her two young children sitting a few seats over. The mom was obviously at her wits end, totting around two small kids, both under the age of 3. And those kids of course knew that momma was at her breaking point, and proceeded to make the her life a living hell. There were some raised voices, some pleas, some threats, all things that, as a bystander and a mother, I knew would not help her situation. And then, it happened.
One of the kids bit the other. That will happen, no big deal. Then he bit the mother. And then, the mother smacked the kid. As I said, I wasn't looking, but I could hear it. It was all I could do just to mind my own business and not give her my death laser stare. Even if it was on the hand (and I think it was), you just hit your own kid. And if that isn't enough, you hit him as a punishment for biting. Do you see the flawed logic in that?
I try not to be a judgmental person. Lord do I try. And fail. Repeatedly. I don't know this mother's story. I don't know all of the circumstances that brought her to the point where she smacked her child. I don't know if this was the first time, the last time, or the 104th time. All I know is that we all have our breaking points. But I don't think I could ever reach the point where I'd hit my kiddo. I know, I know, it isn't like she was beating the kid, but it still doesn't seem right.
I don't know what happened next. I was called back to have my oozing belly button examined. I hope that it was an isolated incident, that the mother just lost control for one second and will have everlasting guilt for it. We all make mistakes after all. It's how we deal with them and learn from them that makes us into better people and better parents. And now, I feel just a little bad about judging this mom. I am after all, finishing up this blog while my kiddo is crying to come out of his crib from nap time.
Alli
Blog: http://alli-n-son.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alli_n_Son
5 comments:
That's how one of the Doctors offices is that we go to. They cleared out all the magazine and kids toys because of the H1N1.
Yuck on the belly button.
lol....i think regardless on how you feel about hitting your kid (which, i don't hit mine either..) it is just uncomfortable to say the least to be sitting in a confined space with a mother and her child/children having a hard time with eachother!!
great post and hope that belly button thang clears up soon....yuck/ouch!!
my belly button ring hated me from the start. all 3 starts.
on another note, there are a few things I will smack my kids for - running away in parking lots for instance - and I know there are some parents who can raise their children without ever raising a hand to them. I'm not one of those parents. sometimes it's the only way to get their attention since apparently they were born with some sort of defect that makes my voice inaudible to them.
Thanks for the well wishes on my belly button. It's healed up nicely. Hoping I can get it re-pierced soon. :-)
I hope your belly piercing is doing good. I hate when you are in that kind of situation and you want to do something or say something but you can't.
Post a Comment