I feel like as a whole American parents live with a great deal of fear about all the terrible things that could happen to our children. There are a few books out there that touch on how the media creates fear by sensationalizing the rare instances where a child is abducted by a stranger or attacked by a shark or whatever (Freakonomics, The Mommy Myth, The Culture of Fear). I am as guilty of falling into the trap of false fear as anyone--I have an alarm system in my home so that I can sleep at night knowing my son is sleeping on a different level of the house from me. But when I leave my children in my car for five minutes outside of Subway, while I grab a quick sandwich for my son to eat in between his sister's physical therapy and the start of his preschool, I don't expect to be humiliated by some busybody barging into the store demanding to know if anyone has a white car. "You left your children in the car?!" she said after I affirmed that I had a white car. "Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on them (I could see my car out the window and had been watching them nearly the whole time I was in line) and I'm only gonna be in here for five minutes I replied," and hastily paid for my sandwich, only to find her standing by my car outside. As if I was going to sit down and enjoy a leisurely lunch while my kids sat starving in the car. I should add that it was a cool fall day and it was neither too hot for them to get heat stroke nor too cold for them to devlop hypothermia. I would never leave my children in the heat or the cold, and I would never leave them in a car where I couldn't see them out the window of whatever place of business I was in for that matter, but even if I couldn't see them out the window, what did that busybody think was going to happen? Does she believe that there are child abuductors on every corner? And that one was going to break into my car in broad daylight in a busy shopping area and pull my children screaming from the car? Did she think they might spontaneously combust?
Maybe I am the one that is off base here, maybe I should be thankful that there are people like that watching out for children. But I don't think it was the fact that she was concerned that bothered me, I think it was her approach. She acted like it was a life or death situation and that I needed to be reprimanded for my supposed offense. If I saw two children in a car unattended and felt concern for them, I think I would just keep and eye on them and see if their parent didn't return in a reasonable amount of time. If that woman would have waited two minutes, I would have been back to my car and she could have seen for herself that I was not neglecting or abandoning my children.
Mothers put enough guilt on themselves everyday: I'm not giving them enough one-on-one attention, I shouldn't have let them eat so much Halloween candy, I should have gotten up earlier so I would be rushed and grouchy with them, I shouldn't swear in front of them or argue with their father, etc, etc, etc! We sure as heck don't need it heaped on us from total strangers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In other news: I voted for McCain, because as much as I wanted to say that I cast my vote for our first president of color, I just couldn't come to terms with Obama's socialist policies. I'm afraid of what will happen to our country with such a liberal president and a democratic congress. I think it is best for everyone when there is some give and take in government and compromises reached, but I fear that Obama will get a green light to do whatever he wants. However, I am proud to see a person of color electeed to the oval office and I hope that I will see a woman reach the same heights in my lifetime.
Today's weather: cloudy and raining hyperactive kids--whatever am I going to do this winter? I fear I will be drinking a lot of Orange Juliases while my children play on the indoor playground at the mall.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Overheard in my backseat:
Sammy's friend: Babies only drink milk, they don't eat hard foods.
Sammy: Yeah, that's kind of weird. They get their milk from right here.
Friend: Yeah, those are called breastes.
No comments:
Post a Comment