When I had my daughter, I was afraid to go out alone with her, worried she might suddenly start crying and be inconsolable. But later, once my hormones settled down, I got a grip and eventually started going out in public with my little one.
So I’m dedicating this post to you—I know exactly how you feel, no matter how old your child is. When your kid throws a tantrum at Walmart over the last Paw Patrol figurine, the world stops spinning for you. You think to yourself, “Come on, am I really going through this?”
Often, we feel a little embarrassed—not because of our child, but because we’re afraid the people around us will think we’re not raising our kids right. You’re overwhelmed by the situation and you’re doing your best to talk to your child, who just screams even louder (don’t try to make me believe your child would never do that—they all do it at one time or another).
I just want to tell you not to stress about it. You’ll get through this. Our grandparents went through it, our parents did—and you’ll go through it too. We survive.
I took a flight recently, and on the plane there was this little girl, about a year old. She was screaming because she wanted to get down from her mom’s lap to go explore, and the people around us were clearly showing signs of impatience… Which got me wondering WHY.
WHY would you deliberately show the mother—in such a rude way—that her child is crying?
No matter where you are, there’s always someone really unpleasant who’ll make a comment or roll their eyes. What does that person gain by showing how frustrated they are? She clearly KNOWS the mother will notice. Does she even realize WHAT it takes to take care of a child?
Well, dear little mom in the middle of a negotiation, SCREW IT.
Create your own little bubble for you and your child—don’t pay attention to the people around you. Personally, looking around just throws me off more than anything else.
And if you see a woman struggling with her child having a meltdown, don’t hesitate to offer her some help or just a sympathetic smile. And give a dirty look to those who are judging.