Friday, July 11, 2008

Wal Mart on Friday Night

After a very busy day today, I took the boys to Wal Mart about 5:30. Wal Mart on a Friday night. Does it get any better than that? No it so does not.

We got what we went for (Thank Goodness) and we were getting ready to stand in the very long line. I decided to take one last detour and check for one last thing. We were near the entrance and I hear a tired child start to scream. I mean scream. Not just crying, I am tired, screaming. I had two tired children who had not eaten yet, I knew there were others. You could see it in their eyes, hot tired children about to snap. This child was "screaming" and the mother was talking loudly to him. Not yelling but just talking loudly.
"Stop it" she said
more screaming.
"I said stop it"
more screaming.
"I told you to not to hit your sister"
the screaming is louder.
Then I hear smack smack smack.
"Stop it stop it stop it stop it. I told you to not hit your sister"

My friend Jenn says that we are the World Police. It's true. So I said not to the woman but loud enough that I hoped she heard and those around me could.

"How does hitting your child and telling him not to hit his sister make any sense?"
"Don't hit your sister or I will hit you"
I got a little nervous that this crazy woman, (I mean who beats their child in Wal Mart), might come after me but I was ready for her. I was scared for my children and what they might see, but I was ready. I never did see her again.

I know nothing of this woman's circumstances. I know nothing about her day. We have all been there. You're at your wits end. Tired, hungry, hot, cranky kids, tired, hot cranky mom. Maybe she's a single mom with little break. Maybe she's a working mom. Who knows. I don't. Did she handle it correctly? No.
I am not going to say I have never swatted my boys behinds. (Honesty, Derek's mostly I can count on that very hand that I swatted him with how many times I have done it) I was swatted as a child (Maybe a handful of times) and I don't like it and it makes me feel awful and I hate to see other parents resort to physical measures on their children, especially in public. If this is what she feels comfortable doing in public what does she do to them at home?

So that's Wal-mart on a Friday night. I didn't even tell you about lovely Ruth that works the check-stand. The man in front of me in line that bought 10 air fresheners (I swear 10, I counted. What exactly is he doing with that many? Reminds me of silence of the lambs.) or the homeless man I gave a soda too or the 10 bucks I lost. I hope whoever finds it needed it and uses it more than I do. UGH!

1 comment:

Balancing Act; Jenn said...

Yes we are the POW's. Police of the World. I would have said the same thing but probably louder. And not cringed. That's the sad part; not cringed. Bring it. I don't know what runs through my veins but it's obviously a good dose of balls. I hope she heard you and even if she's a mom who has it hard (don't we all but in diff ways) or had a bad day, week, month, single mom etc, maybe she thought about what you said. Hopefully.
J