The old man in Starbucks today walked right over to Max and I and nodded towards Max's drink.
"Is that for him?" he asked.
I had a moment of Mommy Pride. In my head I responded "Of course! Isn't the little child sized cup so cute! I'm such a great, smart Mommy for figuring out that I could buy him a baby version of my drink....it's a mini soy milk....for 2 bucks!" But instead, I politely answered "Yes, it is".
"You're giving him SOY?" he said.
"I am" I responded. "Don't you know what soy can do to him?" he countered.
I smiled. Politely, again. "He has a dairy allergy" I said. Nicely.
"But he's a boy" the old man offered. "It'll turn him into a girl".
Suddenly I was back in the parenting workshops that I used to teach. Say what you want your child to hear, we said. So I (nicely, politely) said "No, it WON'T. And he doesn't even drink that much." And I left.
I hated myself for walking out the door. I wanted to turn around and say to him "Please, buy him a cup of milk. And then he will throw up all over your shoes."
"Yes, it's soy. Is that a latte you're drinking? Because caffeine is bad for old guys like you."
"Getting him to drink ANYTHING has been a major battle. I'm proud of him for drinking from a cup. I'm proud that he drinks out of a straw. I'm thrilled that he is finally able to drink a $2 cup of soy milk from a chain store instead of the $42 can of prescription formula that saved his life when he was diagnosed with multiple food allergies and GI issues, so SHUT THE HELL UP YOU STUPID JERK."
But of course, I didn't.
Say what you want your child to hear.
Maybe next time, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS would suffice. If said politely, of course.
1 comment:
Kim so just catching up on your enteries, can't believe that old man said that to you! What nerve, you would have had every right to tell him off but of course you handled it like the classy women you are!
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