Yesterday was a glorious day. The weather was perfect for pumpkin picking.
I decided to take the boys to a pumpkin farm and meet other homeschool families. Whenever I go on a field trip with five boys, my mind is usually on two things: making sure they behave in public and not to lose them forever. These jobs are really big and take up a lot of room in my brain.
In our family, everyone is in his own world including me. Sleepy wasn't looking where he was going at one point during our field trip and ran right into a friend of his who was sitting on the ground. Sleepy went flying forward into the dirt. I made sure apologies were made and brushed the dirt off his jeans.
We finally got in line for the hayride and made it to the pumpkin patch in one piece. The boys were having fun picking the perfect pumpkin. My youngest ones were finished in record time, but my two oldest were being picky. I decided to give them time and went over to the pavilion nearby to get out of the hot sun.
Here is where the day sunk to an all-time low for me. I had three pumpkins in the back part of my trusty double stroller with Sneezy in the front. There was a big step I had to get over, but this was established with relative ease. As I was inching forward, a sweet, little girl stopped right in front of me not really noticing that she was blocking my path. I mentally shrugged and smiled.
Instead of mowing the poor child over, I decided to inch my stroller to the left in order to get out of the way. I believe my actions may have been interpreted differently by her mother. As I was inching over trying not to run over the little girl, her mother rushed up and said, "I'm sorry."
Typically, a woman like me would interpret this as "I'm sorry my kid is in the way. I mean, she just stopped right there in front of you. Thanks for stopping and not running her over. Let me get her out of the way." My kids have done this so many times since they are always in their own world and I always grab them by the arm and say, "Get out of the way, honey," or "Pay attention."
So, being the woman that I am, I said, "Oh! That's okay!" as if to say, "Really, don't worry about it. She can stay there as long as she wants. I'm in no hurry. No harm done." A woman like me would know that is the universal meaning for "That's okay" when someone's kid is in the way.
This particular woman does not interpret "That's okay" the same way I do. In fact, she was downright irate. She said, "No. I'm sorry.....she was WALKING!"
Well, okay then.
I do not remember the last time I have come across such rudeness in a stranger. It twisted my guts and I felt sick. I was mortified that I had offended someone over something so trivial and not intended in the least.
She took her daughter by the hand and went over to sit down on a bench. As nonchalantly as possible, I pushed my monstrosity of a stroller out of the pavilion to stand nearer to the pumpkin patch. I didn't relax until the woman and her daughter waiting under the pavilion left the area in the next hayride.
Even now, I have nothing to say to that woman. I have no snappy comebacks. I do not wish to tell her off in my mind only explain the situation from my point of view. I would inform the woman that I did realize her daughter was there and even though she thought I was trying to mow her down, the truth is, I was the one trying to get out of the way.
If I could go back, I would still have left the pavilion instead of explaining myself. It is my theory the woman was PMSing if I could exhibit just a touch of cattiness. If I had gone over to her to resolve the issue in a friendly manner, I think I would have gotten scratched for my efforts.
Any thoughts I could end this with would be for the next unsuspecting mother. I wish her well. She's going to need it.
I decided to take the boys to a pumpkin farm and meet other homeschool families. Whenever I go on a field trip with five boys, my mind is usually on two things: making sure they behave in public and not to lose them forever. These jobs are really big and take up a lot of room in my brain.
In our family, everyone is in his own world including me. Sleepy wasn't looking where he was going at one point during our field trip and ran right into a friend of his who was sitting on the ground. Sleepy went flying forward into the dirt. I made sure apologies were made and brushed the dirt off his jeans.
We finally got in line for the hayride and made it to the pumpkin patch in one piece. The boys were having fun picking the perfect pumpkin. My youngest ones were finished in record time, but my two oldest were being picky. I decided to give them time and went over to the pavilion nearby to get out of the hot sun.
Here is where the day sunk to an all-time low for me. I had three pumpkins in the back part of my trusty double stroller with Sneezy in the front. There was a big step I had to get over, but this was established with relative ease. As I was inching forward, a sweet, little girl stopped right in front of me not really noticing that she was blocking my path. I mentally shrugged and smiled.
Instead of mowing the poor child over, I decided to inch my stroller to the left in order to get out of the way. I believe my actions may have been interpreted differently by her mother. As I was inching over trying not to run over the little girl, her mother rushed up and said, "I'm sorry."
Typically, a woman like me would interpret this as "I'm sorry my kid is in the way. I mean, she just stopped right there in front of you. Thanks for stopping and not running her over. Let me get her out of the way." My kids have done this so many times since they are always in their own world and I always grab them by the arm and say, "Get out of the way, honey," or "Pay attention."
So, being the woman that I am, I said, "Oh! That's okay!" as if to say, "Really, don't worry about it. She can stay there as long as she wants. I'm in no hurry. No harm done." A woman like me would know that is the universal meaning for "That's okay" when someone's kid is in the way.
This particular woman does not interpret "That's okay" the same way I do. In fact, she was downright irate. She said, "No. I'm sorry.....she was WALKING!"
Well, okay then.
I do not remember the last time I have come across such rudeness in a stranger. It twisted my guts and I felt sick. I was mortified that I had offended someone over something so trivial and not intended in the least.
She took her daughter by the hand and went over to sit down on a bench. As nonchalantly as possible, I pushed my monstrosity of a stroller out of the pavilion to stand nearer to the pumpkin patch. I didn't relax until the woman and her daughter waiting under the pavilion left the area in the next hayride.
Even now, I have nothing to say to that woman. I have no snappy comebacks. I do not wish to tell her off in my mind only explain the situation from my point of view. I would inform the woman that I did realize her daughter was there and even though she thought I was trying to mow her down, the truth is, I was the one trying to get out of the way.
If I could go back, I would still have left the pavilion instead of explaining myself. It is my theory the woman was PMSing if I could exhibit just a touch of cattiness. If I had gone over to her to resolve the issue in a friendly manner, I think I would have gotten scratched for my efforts.
Any thoughts I could end this with would be for the next unsuspecting mother. I wish her well. She's going to need it.
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~Dani