It's hard being a parent to a toddler; you've got to deal with tantrums, potty training, crazy sleep schedules, more tantrums, picky palates, time outs, and tantrums--did I mention tantrums? Because there are SO MANY. I'm used to my daughter's tantrums (it's called the 'terrible twos' for a reason, y'all), but I never imagined that the biggest tantrum I'd ever encounter would come from A FULL GROWN WOMAN.

That's right: an ADULT pitched the biggest fit I have seen (to date) on the playground yesterday morning. This woman just LOST IT and totally went off on me. Why? Because I asked her kid to stop kicking mine. Seriously. Allow me to set the scene...

Sunday mornings are my favorite. We get breakfast at Waffle House or IHOP and then my husband and I take our daughter, Dolly, to one of Tuscaloosa's many playgrounds. (Shoutout to PARA for all the hard work they do making sure our kids have fun, safe, clean places to play!) We go pretty early in the morning so that I can spend some time with the fam before I go back to the station for my Sunday shift.

Since we're at the park so early, we usually have the place to ourselves (regardless of locale). This was not the case yesterday. When we arrived at the playground, there was another little boy there. His mom was with him; she introduced him to Dolly and said Little Dude was three.

Dolly is not shy at all; she makes friends wherever she goes. She and Little Dude were buddies in a matter of minutes, chasing each other, playing tag, holding hands, and going down the slide in tandem. It was super cute, and they both were having a fun time.

I snapped this pic during our Saturday afternoon trip to the park. Dolly was so proud of that little red leaf! (Meg Summers/TSM)
I snapped this pic during our Saturday afternoon trip to the park. Dolly was so proud of that little red leaf! (Meg Summers/TSM)
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Little Dude started to act out a bit, but my husband and I weren't phased. Toddlers do that; NBD. Little Dude grabbed two handfuls of mulch and threw them in my daughter's face--for no reason. She wasn't antagonizing him or anything; he just threw a bunch of mulch all over her because he felt like it. Whatever.

I didn't say anything to Little Dude. His mom fussed at him a bit, and apologized to us. I said it was okay, and I helped Dolly dust herself off so she could get back to playing. She and Little Dude were off having fun again... until...

Dolly was climbing up a ladder to get to a portion of the playground. Little Dude was at the top of said ladder. I was nearby because I wanted to make sure I would be there to catch Dolly if she lost her grip and fell. She and Little Dude had been getting along so well, but without any warning, he started to kick her.

He tried to kick her in the face, and then he stomped on her hands. Hard. She pulled back, and (thank God I was standing there) I caught her as she fell. I was seriously upset that this kid decided to kick my baby girl, but I kept it together. I helped Dolly back onto the ladder and said to Little Dude, "Hey, Buddy; it's not nice to kick our friends, okay?"

That was it. That's all I said. I said it in a calm and sweet voice, exactly as I would if I were addressing my own child. I didn't touch Little Dude. I didn't raise my voice at Little Dude. I simply said, "Hey, Buddy; it's not nice to kick our friends, okay?"

Another pic from another park excursion--I love seeing her have so much fun! (Meg Summers/TSM)
Another pic from another park excursion--I love seeing her have so much fun! (Meg Summers/TSM)
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This was apparently a grave error on my part, because his mom straight up LOST IT. She started (literally) screaming at him to get ready; they were leaving right now. He was crying and was like, "No, Mommy; I want to play," but his mom was having none of it. She kept on screaming and insisted they leave. When he didn't come to her, she ran over to our end of the playground and grabbed him up.

She looked at me like I had committed some unspeakable atrocity; I mean this chick was SEETHING. She gave me a Super-Ultra-Mega-Shade-Death-Glare and hissed, "Don't you tell my baby what to do!" through clenched teeth.

She then took her son and retreated to their vehicle. They stayed there until we left. She watched us the entire time, and as soon as we drove off, she and her son got out and went back to the playground.

Where did I go wrong, y'all? I wasn't mean to Little Dude. I just told him not to kick my kid. I wasn't mean or haughty or anything like that. I wanted to stand up for my daughter because she couldn't tell him to stop kicking her. If the tables had been turned, I would not be angry at Little Dude's mom. I'd be upset with my own kid for her acting a fool, but I would never go off on another parent like Little Dude's mom did.

Did I cross the line? Should I have just kept my mouth shut? Is it ever okay to correct another child? Have you ever been in this situation? What did you do? Comment below; I desperately need your input on this one. I'd like to avoid future Momma Drama, so I appreciate y'all's advice!

 

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