TwitterMoms in partnership with Care.com is having a contest. The charge:
What’s the rudest comment from a stranger you have ever gotten about your parenting style?
Not. A. Problem. The hard part is — which story should I choose? Is it bad I have too many options? Here goes:
My daughter Lucy was 2, she had (OK, she still does) a love/hate relationship with water. She has been known to ooze, “I love you Wawa!” as we drive onto the ferry. Yet she screams like a tortured victim from some “B” horror flick when her face gets wet while bathing. So, of course I am going to sign her up for swim lessons! I love to put myself in awkward situations, so it was a no-brainer!
Heh. No brain. How perfect.
“NO! NO! NO!”
Lucy screamed in varying decibels and inflections at her teacher when asked if she was ready to use the kickboard. She hates water unless she is on dry land or on a large floating vessel made of tons of steel. I knew her response wasn’t OK, but sometimes one must choose one’s battles.
Instead of forcing her from the pool (cuz THAT would help) and calling a priest to perform an exorcist forcing her to “SHOOSH!”… I just asked the teacher if she could move past my rabid little girl and move onto a child that perhaps… wasn’t foaming at the mouth. As soon as the threat was lifted, her head stopped spinning and she began to splash and play alone on the pool steps like any child one might assume had social integration issues.
Only minutes later, a little boy rejected the teacher too – but he was nice. He softly said,
“No… I’m all done.”
I said to myself,
“That was nice. I like it when people notice nice things about my kids and tell me the nice thingthey noticed about my kid. Self… tell that mom how nicely her little boy responded.”
Like a fool, I listened to myself. *smacks head with palm, repeatedly*
Here’s what I got back,
“Oh, he knows yelling would NEVER fly in OUR house.”
Really? That’s crazy. I actually yell at my kids when they don’t yell enough… In fact, my best yellers get rewarded with a crown and gavel and a high chair covered in purple velvet and a sippy cup filled with Mountain Dew Red Bull and a bowlful of sugar! Little yelling people are the most delightful of people, and they should be acknowledged for such delightfulness. *tilts head to the right*
I think that whole situation happened to someone else… on TV…
**********
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Well, it could be the preschool teacher’s response to a doctor’s letter confirming that Missy was not autistic. “Perhaps we should examine your parenting style then.”
Or maybe the time a volunteer at church STOLE a pair of princess pull-ups to put on my daughter because Missy had boy pullups in her diaper bag.
Um, oh yeah, could be the time one of the mommy’s at preschool said, “God, just get her a haircut already!”
Why are all these moments with Missy? Hmmm. Food for thought.
…or when my M-I-L gave me Dr. Phil’s Family First DVD set which says on the cover: “”Do you feel that your family is not what it used to be, or what it has the potential to be? Do you worry that the parenting decisions you’re making today may be scarring your child for life? Do you sometimes feel you are in a tug of war with the world over who will shape your child’s values and beliefs?…”
wait…
when I was pregnant with the second of her only grandchildren.
Wow! Reading everyone’s posts and comments is making me feel like I’ve had it easy. I just cannot believe what strangers will say!
Just move to the south….everyone yells at their kids here.lol It’s pretty normal. You are so much nicer than I am. Cause that lady would have gotten an ear full from me. Cause She was a liar! Plus the fact not everyone responds to water the same way. I myself am not a big fan of it, so I am so there with Lucy. I would have screamed my a@#$ off too! Poor baby!
SO I got cocky and thought I had this contest in the bag and then I read your post and I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. Oh my dear Lord! You’ve got a way with sarcasm that I envy! lol I have to read your blog more often. LOVE it.
I would’ve like to tell her: “Oh, just like my child knows that being a self-righteous bitch would NEVER fly in OUR home.”
Musings nailed it. Yep. So, my lovely spouse criticizes my parenting all the time, does that count? Once my MIL accused me of intentionally exposing my children to Muslim culture as they were apparently bowing to Mecca. They were 3 and 5 and were mimicking a Disney movie they watched with YOUR kids, Alladin. I told her I didn’t know anyone Muslim but if I did I wouldn’t shelter them from another culture so they would not get, oh, I don’t know…PARANOID like her!!!
Jenny, please write a book for the greater good of womankind. A big, long, thick book with your mind poured right into it so that I can laugh whenever I want to, day or nite, electricity or not…even sitting in the bathroom, or library as I call it. You are hilarious and I can’t get enough.
I’ve been lucky. I haven’t overheard or had anyone say anything to my face regarding the way I parent my children. There’s still time though…
It didn’t happen to me, but a former neighbor (still friends) of ours had DCFS called on her, because she patted her child to help scoot the rugrat into her seat. Because of that call, she had to spend several hours explaining that she is not a bad parent and that she does not abuse her children.
Oh and yelling is kind of a prerequisite in our house. Six kids. :)
Can you believe what people think they have the right to say? Why couldn’t she just say “thank you” than be rude. There is a place for snark, (but this wasn’t one of them), don’t get me wrong, but rude, uh, uh, sistah.
YOU WON!!! I KNEW you’d win! Congratulations chickie! I snagged a little gift card as well. So glad you participated because that’s what led me to your blog and I’ve enjoyed reading it ever since. Hope you’re having a great day!
That is hilarious …
My child puts me in these types of situations so often, I’ve have panic attacks when I take him out for a dinner, or lunch for the two of us at a diner …
Great post …