It just so happened that I also needed to have some work done on my phone (ie get a new one cuz my old one was dead). And my husband is out of the country. And I've got two children. So they went along with me. Of course we had to stop off and do the pediatric dentist first, so thank goodness they had goodie bags and new little prizes: a sticky hand and a plastic launcher, the perfect items to take along to a store full of tech.
Our phone carrier is full of hidden hoops, fees, and securities so it is always an opera to get anything done. I did a lot better this time than I usually do; I didn't curse as much......and thank goodness there weren't a lot of people there because we went fairly early. But as we were waiting for an authorization to go through, another woman came in with her two kids, about the same size as Tristan and Mis. Immediately, they came over to see what my boys were doing, which was sitting quietly like I had told them to. The other kids, a boy and a girl, had brought a few toys of their own, and so the four of them began to play and share. It seemed harmless, and the phone store is a boring place for kiddos, so when the mom asked if it was okay, I said they were fine.
Unfortunately, she left her two kids there and went to the counter to chat with one of the sales reps. And then the kids started getting naughty. They were jumping on the benches, launching the launcher, smashing the sticky hand on the TV screen, running around. I told my boys to stop, and took their toys away. The other children were disappointed, but they kept playing. And then the boy asked Tristan if he wanted to wrestle. I told Tristan no, that it wasn't appropriate, but then the rep came over to ask for a few more bits of information. In just those brief seconds that I turned my back, the boy had thrown Tristan to the floor and scrapped skin off his elbow.
And a scene followed. The boys eyes were wide, Tristan was crying, people were watching. I took Tristan's hand and walked him over to the counter where the mom was standing. I asked the rep for a bandaid and she ran to get one. The mom began apologizing profusely, tears welling up in her eyes. She was embarrassed, mortified, clearly upset. She told her son to look at what he had done, that he had hurt Tristan. She apologized to me again and again, and the rep said we could use their bathroom to get Tristan cleaned up. In the bathroom, tear streaked and upset after a lecture of "mommy told oyu so", Tristan said, it's okay, I forgive him. We finished up and went back out.
Tristan walked up to the boy and said it was okay. I told the mom it was going to be okay, they are kids, accidents happen. Nothing was broken. She apologized again. And I took the kids out for a walk while we waited for the rest of the authorization to process. That way the mom didn't have to rush out, embarrassed. I told Tristan I was proud of him for being forgiving and we went and got some snacks while we waited.
I felt so terrible for her. I mean at first I was irritated, because she'd just left her kids over near me and mine. But then I realized, I'd just had a crazy morning, my kids are rambunctious, they were being naughty too, and sometimes my kids do awful things in the store. I felt her pain. I imagined myself in her shoes, because it just as easily could have gone the other way. And I would have been the one scared of a lawsuit.
So to that mom I say again, it's okay. Accidents happen. Kids are kids, and sometimes they do stupid things. I've been caught in embarrassing situations with my kids a number of times, and I know how hard it is to go places alone with two children in tow. It's a nightmare most of the time! So I hope that they were able to go home and talk about what happened and move forward. As for my kids, we went home and they promptly beat each other up in Tristan's room, and Tristan bit through his lip falling off his bed. So this isn't anything new for us.
Moms with kids, we need to be supporting each other. Sometimes things happen that need to involve insurance and other entities, but scrapped knees and elbows aren't cause to fret. Teach your kids to respect boundaries, but also teach them to be forgiving. And next time you see a mom struggling with her kids somewhere, have a little compassion and don't stare. She feels bad enough.
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