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If I Am Beating Your Kid With A Stick - PICK HIM UP ALREADY!
- Nov 2, 2009 at 11:37 AM
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- Comments (7) Total Views (195) Everyone can see this journal post.
We had a wonderful Halloween the night before last. Trick or Treating, costume contest, reconnecting with old friends and Ohhhhing and Ahhhhing over the latest bundles of joy in their cuter then cute costumes. All in all, pretty fun. Ethan had a major blast since good 'ol grandma lent him the (empty) cap gun handed down from his great-great grandfather! And of course he brandished it about the whole time, being the cowboy that he was.
I thought that we had come up with a pretty freaking awesome homemade costume. We layered his jeans and flannel Long sleeve over his long john Halloween-y p.j.'s. We belted and holstered him, thought about duct-taping the unruly cowboy hat to his head and tied the whimsical Neck-er-chief 'round his wee little neck. All before we handed him the bane of my entire existence (but the crowning achievement of the costume)- his hobby horse.
In case some of you are going 'What the crap is a Hobby Horse', it is essentially a horse head on a stick. Now, carry on...
He made off with some serous loot with that costume and almosteveryone praised the cute little cowboy except for a few odd balls who thought that the little cowgirl was pretty awesome. Gah. We even stopped by the police officers and after joking whether or not the candy was safe to take from two strangers we headed over to the costume contest, of which I will never take part in again.
So we lined up, hobby horse, blue candy filled pumpkin, Ethan and I, to stand in line with the 4 and under crowd (a very unruly bunch) and their frantic mothers who are trying to hold them still long enough to show off the 20, 30, and 40 ( or 5 dollar in my case...that hat was expensive! lol) dollar costumes that they wrestled the poor little buggers into (and some were STILL wrestling the costumes on, me included). Ethan sat so still on his hobby horse for the first 5 min. and I had my fingers crossed that he would just stay that way but.....oh course the overtired toddler who just collected a whole bucket full of candy would not forget that he had just collected a bucketful of candy.
I grabbed the hobby horse and doled out ONE peanut butter cup while he happily munched for about another five min. And then the panic ensued...he wanted MORE candy, MORE candy he screamed hysterically. I, the ever overprotective mother, was not about to dole out bunches and bunches of sugar to someone because he DEMANDED it. And so, while I was fighting with my two year old, trying to make sure he didn't run off into a crowd of people, I accidentally, inadvertently tapped another child with my horse head on a stick. Oh yes, and I didn't even realise it at the time.
Now I am in NO WAY saying it's o.k. to smack a child with anything ever. As a parent I would be concerned and take measure of the situation. Was this mother with the loud and annoying toddler beating my child? Was she doing it on purpose? Was it going to stop? Could I prevent it? Did she even KNOW that she was doing it? And, of course, I would MOVE MY CHILD out of harms way. And I wouldn't hesitate to inform the mother that the accessories to the costume was about to become the accessory in a police report. No Im just kidding on that last part. I would try and get the frantic mothers attention by saying 'Excuse me' or 'Miss! Mame! Or Hey You!' and if she didn't hear me (or was ignoring me, you pick) I would TAP her on the shoulder and say 'Excuse me, I am sure you didn't notice or mean to but your stick keeps getting loose and it's bumping into my kid'.
But thats NOT what happend my friends. No way, uh huh. Why be polite and full of sense when you can just be rude? What I heard was- Ohmyfreaking GAWD! Stop hitting my kid with your stick already!
First of all, if this was an ONGOING issue, why didn't you MOVE the poor child? Here is a stranger who is hitting your child *repeatedly* and you what- hang him out to dry? I know for a fact that I wasn't moving closer to them so that meant the range on my child beater was consistent and unchanging.
My first response was- You know, I really wish you would have mentioned something earlier! Because...I can't think of ANY mother who would think it was funny or continue in action to hit a strange child (or any child really). As a mother...or just a person, I would love to be informed before being yelled at that I am possibly causing your family harm. Really.
'We just did'. Unless you are going to make sure the person you are saying things to actually hears you....it's better not to waste your breath. I obviously didn't hear you say anything otherwise I would have acknowledged it in some form (like repeatedly apologizing, or telling the mom to shove it or HELL even just LOOKING in their general direction)...ANY form really.
The thing is, there is a time to get pissy and bitchy. Like when the woman you ask to stop hitting your child with the stick sneers at you and then proceeds to ignore you. But not when you mutter something at a woman who is clearly distracted, in a crowd full of shouting, candy activated children.
In other related news, my sisters were both standing in front of us and they said that while they were watching (for 20 min) I didn't even get NEAR them let alone in beating range, and I know that I didn't hear any child cry as if he had been injured in anyway (which for some reason I seem to have like a 20 mile radar on) and I know that there is no way I was weilding that baby hard enough to be anything but an annoyance. So what do we have? Some woman who don't feel like taking the child out of harms way before dealing with an ongoing situation (that appears not to have been THAT ongoing) that wasn't really so much of an issue as it was an annoyance. Oh geez.
Hope the rest of you had a safe and Happy Halloween!
Comments:
Oh my gosh! Your son is adorable! I love his curly hair and big brown eyes! Try not to let that other mom get to you. She was either having a bad day or just not a very nice person.
AWWW!!! I LOVE Ethan's costume!! Sounds like you all did indeed have a great night-minus the witch at the contest. Im so sorry you had to deal with that, but as others have said, dont let her get to you. You are a wonderful, thoughtful, caring person who imo would NEVER harm anyone, much less a child or even on purpose. Some people just apparently have nothing better to do than be rude and snotty to anyone and everyone they come in contact with. Dont let her get you down or discouraged! SHE's the one with the issue. Give Ethan a hug for me!!! Happy Halloween!! *hugs*
I agree I think his costume did turn out way freaking cute :)
Loved the story. I have to admit the only reason I read it is because I threaten to beat my son with a stick often :). The other day he did something and looked at me VERY seriously and said "you aren't gonna beat me with a stick....no", haha. Hilarious (note: I have never beaten my child with a stick...nor would I :P)
Ha! Ha! That last comment about the lady that hasn't beat her kid with a stick even though she says it reminds me of my aunt. She does not beat her kids, but for some reason when her now 20-something yr old son was younger he one day, in front of a cop, asked his mom when is K (his sister) going to be old enough for you to start beating too?!? LOL....the things kids say and do to embarrass us. My own child told a doctor once that the bruise he got on his foot from trying to pick up a brick (and dropped it) was from me stomping on his foot while he was screaming 'no mommy no!' Thank God she understood he is a dramatic child who enjoys a good story! LOL
lol, thats funny, i mean i am shy and all, but i would have at least moved my child to the other side of me, and given you a dirty look after the first "hit"
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A big HUG to you and your son is so cute. I want to nibble on his cheeks. Have a blessed day.
- burkemom
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