It's funny what people decide to pay attention to.
I went to the playground earlier with my wife and my kids. I actually got there after my wife and we were sitting near a ball field watching our kids play. My wife pointed out a woman sitting in a car in the parking lot about 30 feet away. It seems as though the woman in the car is the mother of a 'special needs' kid that comes to the playground from time to time. Her kid is a little taller and bigger than most of the other kids and doesn't really play smoothly with the other kids. I am not knocking or ridiculing her kid in any way, that is the last thing in the world I would do. Her kid just needs a little more attention, especially around smaller kids.
So, this woman always brings her kid to the playground and then she just sits in the car yacking on her cellphone. Me personally, I think parents of small kids should sit near the playground just to oversee their kids and make sure everyone is playing nicely with each other. And in her case, where her child needs a little extra attention - she should have her ass nearer than the doggone parking lot where she can't see or do anything. You can see how uncomfortable the other parents are when they have to supervise her kid when the child gets a little rough with the others or they have a hard time sharing. I think that's very unfair to the other parents that give a damn about their kids and have to watch after their kid AND hers.
I looked over my shoulder at the car and made the comment "That's pretty unfair. I guess she figures it's time for the village to raise her kid." Now, I didn't care if she heard me, one way or the other - it was how I felt, and I said it. I didn't say it loud and I didn't say it quietly. But, what happened next made me think that she may have.
About 45 seconds later, I noticed this fat woman standing about 12 feet away from us on her phone. My wife and I looked at her and she looked back at us with this strange, fake looking smile. We were talking about something else and kinda kept on with the subject at hand. The fat woman then walked past us and went back to THE CAR I was looking at with the lazy mother!!! So, then I put two and two together and figured that she heard my comment and was coming over to kinda' say, "Say it in my face!" Well, I have to say that I was glad I didn't speak to her when she walked up behind us - normally, I'm very friendly toward people and I'm quick to say "Hello." But, there was something about that fake smile that made me not even part my lips.
Now, I've got no problem with anyone that wants to ask me, "What did you say about me?" I like to be brutally honest sometimes, so I'll tell people how I feel straight up. What angered me, was the fact that this woman thought enough of what she heard me say to waddle her ass over for a possible confrontation. But she will not go push her kid on a swing, she will not help her kid down a slide, she will not help teach her kid to share toys at the playground - but she'll come over to me to, "See if he'll say it in my face!" God knows, I'd love to have that moment back - because I'm sure I'd have some words for her! I might not be as rude and nasty as I'm sure she'd want to be with me, but I'm positive that I'd encourage her to take some of that piss-n-vinegar she has in store for me, and flip it into guidance and go teach her kid how to play a little gentler with the little kids.
I'm just blown away at the fact that this woman would rather walk up to my wife and me and try to stare us down than go over to her kid and help the child make some friends at the playground. Other parents should not have to make sure her kid plays well with others when mom needs to be learning this lesson herself.
-TTBM
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