We needed a full on grocery run. It was necessary, otherwise I would have waited until later that night instead of venturing to the store with both Annika and Mayzie along for the ride. They were wound up, and I wasn't in the mood to yell at them. They were just being kids and exploring their surroundings and not really bothering me at all. Just behind us in the store, there was a woman with triplet boys. She had one of those wagons with three individual trailers, and her boys were sitting quietly and eating a snack. I complimented her on her genius and she intimated that it was the only way she could get anything done. Oh, the woes of a mother of multiples! We shopped on.
I was standing a picking out produce, when all of a sudden an elderly lady addressed me:
Woman: Did you know that your daughter is running around with a bag of brussels sprouts?
Me: Yes. They're her favorite. How lucky are we to get a 5 year old who loves brussels sprouts?
Woman: Well, both of your kids are being wild. I saw a woman over there with 3 boys who were better behaved than your children.
Me: [astounded and too stunned to speak for a moment] Well, all kids are different.
Woman: [scoffs and walks away]
I laughed and went on with my shopping until the mother of the triplets turned the corner. I HAD to tell her what that lady said. I relayed the story and we shared a laugh.
She: Well, I guess I'll take the compliment.
Me: I knew you'd love it. It didn't bother me. After 5 years of this, I've learned to let stuff like that roll off my back.
She: Well you know what my husband always says? "God must really love stupid people, because he sure made a lot of them."
Me: I'm totally stealing that.
We finished shopping, and I warned a woman on the way in with a kid to beware of judge-y elderly people inside. She laughed and said, "Thanks for the tip."
Two thoughts occur to me upon reflection:
1. I really LOVE the camaraderie between parents. We're really all in this together, and I adore parents who just GET it.
2. Exactly how long does it take before you forget what it's like to be a parent of small children and to become judge-y and arrogant enough to feel that you have the right to tell others how to handle theirs in public?
Here's hoping I never get like that.
