I Admit Smugness

My son was good as gold in the stores today. While in Aldi's, this older yuppie mom with two children, probably ages 9 and 7 were having a tough little time. The children were whiney, misbehaving, running to and fro and not listening to mom at all. Everyone kept staring at them. My little 2 year old was enthralled by this, but behaved very well. He even yelled at the kids when they climbed onto the grocery-packing shelf!

So, I admit, I was a bit smug and proud of my little man being such a good boy. But, I made sure to remind myself of the times not too long ago when "meltdown" was the key word. Granted, a 2 year old is often given much more leeway with misbehaving and meltdowns than older children who are just seen as bratty. But, I'm sure every mom has a day when she needs "Super Nanny."

So, I'm really trying hard not to be smug or to judge this mom. I always have this feeling that being prideful and judgemental will bring the exact same thing down on me! Whether that's true or not, it's not good to be that way. But, I can't be the ONLY mom who's ever felt this way when their children were good, but other's weren't. I've seen moms of happy toddlers sitting quietly and perfectly in the grocery cart giving ME a smug, but understanding smile when Bubby was laying in the middle of the aisle screaming his head off. I guess we're all guilty of it.

Comments

Dawn said…
One thing to always remember when you see moms and kiddos like that is to stop where you are and say a silent prayer for this mom that God would give her wisdom and guidance and patience and would calm the children down.
We can gawk and stare but that doesn't do anything. Prayer does. :-)

I love Aldi's. Great place!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

God Bless You,
Dawn
9:01 AM
Kate said…
Great advice, Dawn!
9:49 AM
Lucy said…
I agree with Dawn. You never know if a mother has children with special needs of some sort (not just a learning or physical disability but trauma, mental health issues etc) and, to be frank, I have found that if I judge others my children do too.
4:09 AM
Jenn said…
I'm glad to hear you be aware of not judging other moms/children even though you were quite proud of your little one!! =)

All too often the most judgmental people I have run across are on Christian blogs....glad yours is not the same. ;-)

And you are right, you are not the ONLY mom that's felt that way. We all have at some point, and some of us have been given special children (such as my two autistic children that look "average" outwardly) that have totally changed out outlooks.

Enjoy your little ones!!
7:28 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

She's Here!

Image
Our daughter was born at 7:17 pm, May 27th after only 2 1/2 hours of labor and 10 minutes of pushing! She weighed in at 6lbs 5 ounces and measured at 19 inches long....another little peanut! It was all-natural, baby! No induction, no pitocin, no pain relievers, no episiotomy! All prayers have been answered by the Lord except for her nursing ability. She's not a very good nurser, though she was a champ just after she was born. She's getting better, though and I continue in prayer that she improves. I pray that when my milk comes in, she'll be a great nurser. I'm also in prayer about her jaundice. Right now, it's not bad at all, but I learned with Bubby how quickly that can change, especially with her not being a good nurser. The picture above was taken yesterday. That's me and my son and daughter. Poor hubby's not in the picture because he wasn't at the hospital at that time. He was there earlier, but I sent him home to get some rest and some
Read more

Blessing, Wisdom, Modesty, Feminine Influences

My wonderful husband bought me a new vacuum! My old one threw sparks out at me, so I refused to run it for fear of my life. So, hubby bought me a new vacuum and it's wonderful! It even has a self-cleaning duster attachment! Hubby appreciates the hepa filter. I enjoy having a vacuum that actually does it's job. Oh, and my other favorite attachment is the special adjustable upholstery and stairs doo-hickey with it's own rotating brush. It's great for dog hair. I recently had my 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. Hubby teased me that I was going to lose my wisdom, but I actually gained some! While I was in dreadful pain and recovering, I had to eat VERY carefully. During this time I learned that: 1. I eat when I'm not hungry...not a good habit to get into. 2. I eat too fast and don't savor my food. Therefore, I tend to eat a bit more so as to enjoy the flavor. 3. I put food in my mouth when I'm still chewing the first portion I put in. Blech...what a
Read more

I'm sorry, but I just have to gripe...

What is it with this trend of calling women "Miss" and their first name? I really dislike being called "Miss Kate." First of all, I am NOT a "Miss" and secondly, Kate is my familiar nickname. I am very proudly Mrs. Scott. Calling me Mrs. Scott does not make me feel old or detached. On the other hand, "Miss Kate" makes me sound like a child and lowered in societal and respectable standards rather than the married mother that I am. I don't want to be called Miss Kate, nor do I want my children to address adult women in that manner. Which brings up another point; men don't receive that kind of watered down respect. They get addressed properly as Mr. Smith, not Mr. John. Unfortunately, the three greatest offenders are a close friend, my sister-in-law, and my church. My close friend, I allow her daughter to call me Kate. We've known each other for so long and she's growing into a young lady, so I have no problem with the fam
Read more