Accosted at the grocery store

[ladygrey]

We ran to the store to pick up a few things this morning. DD was sitting in the cart with her Snozu jacket on, unzipped. An older woman came up to us and said how cute DD was, then made a comment about her jacket not being warm enough. I said, "oh that jacket is filled with down, it's plenty warm." She said, "well, back in my day, this is how we could tell if a jacket is warm enough," stuck her hand inside and then proceeded to PUT HER MOUTH ON THE JACKET AND BLEW ON IT SEVERAL TIMES! The verdict: since she could feel her breath through the jacket, my kid must be freezing. 

What the actual fuck.

1. When did it become okay for complete strangers to put their mouths on kids? Disgusting. I was feeling so lucky that we haven't had any weird stranger encounters up to this point, but this is really takes the cake.

2. Enough with the comments about kids and cold weather attire. We live in Minnesota and it's 20* with a fresh coat of snow outside - a down jacket (plus hat and mittens) is a completely appropriate clothing choice for this weather.

/rant over 

[dottyblue]

Excuse me, she did what!? I would have gone OFF on her. You do not put your germy mouth on anything of my child's. Let alone doing so in order to question my parenting capabilities.

What did you do?

[countthestars]

Oh hell no. WHY ARE PEOPLE SO NUTS

Of course I'm the one that runs DD in and out of daycare with no coat because I'm not willing to fight with her. We live in MA.

[dancingirl21]

HOOOOLY SHIT. People are so, so, so weird! My mouth would have been hanging open. Then she would have gotten a death stare.

[DarcyLongfellow]

That's horrible. People are so weird.

[spk926]

WHAT?!! Not okay!!!

[VillainV]

I'd probably say something snarky like ask her for her name and address so I know where to send the bill when my child comes down with whatever germ she has.

My kid gets a LOT of attention when we're in public (he's my first so I don't know if this is normal or not) and I HATE HATE HATE when people touch him.

[havarti]

This is one of those things I would still be thinking about what I should have said for YEARS later! Things that come to mind:

"Putting your mouth on my baby is completely inappropriate. You should be ashamed of yourself."
or maybe
"SECURITY!!!"

[ladygrey]

She started blowing on the jacket and I said, "please don't put your mouth on my daughter." She stopped (after blowing 2-3 times) and then gave me a huffy look and walked away. What a complete loon.

I'm now washing the old lady lipstick off the jacket. Barf.

[CloudBee]

I'm sorry that happened to you.

Man, I really hope I learn to keep my mouth shut when I get older.

MIL has been talking up a storm about my DS's winter coat for the past 2 weeks. She thinks it's too small, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Then she calls to tell me she bought him a size 2T "bubble coat". She never buys him anything, so I take this as her trying to passively aggressively lay down the law? (I'm being sensitive, I know. She cares. But...!)

He wears a 12M Patagonia Down Sweater, which is supposed to fit 12-18M. He's a peanut. The PDS is car seat safe, and should fit him, although likely become snug, for most of all of this winter. I'm pretty sure whatever bubble coat she bought, is not car seat safe. We've already had a discussion about what he can/can't wear in the car, because she's always questioning why he's not in a huge fluffy bunting.

2nd winter in a row of this. I'm sick of it. She expects him to be in a full snow suit, and says he needs a roomier jacket. Hence the 2T purchase.

Vent over.

[Deleted]

OMG!

[litasail]

No. No no no no no no no no no no. NO.

[carolinagirl831]

Ugh people are so weird!!

[dottyblue]

Dec 16, 2014 13:00:42 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

I'm sorry that happened to you.

Man, I really hope I learn to keep my mouth shut when I get older.

MIL has been talking up a storm about my DS's winter coat for the past 2 weeks. She thinks it's too small, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Then she calls to tell me she bought him a size 2T "bubble coat". She never buys him anything, so I take this as her trying to passively aggressively lay down the law? (I'm being sensitive, I know. She cares. But...!)

He wears a 12M Patagonia Down Sweater, which is supposed to fit 12-18M. He's a peanut. The PDS is car seat safe, and should fit him, although likely become snug, for most of all of this winter. I'm pretty sure whatever bubble coat she bought, is not car seat safe. We've already had a discussion about what he can/can't wear in the car, because she's always questioning why he's not in a huge fluffy bunting.

2nd winter in a row of this. I'm sick of it. She expects him to be in a full snow suit, and says he needs a roomier jacket. Hence the 2T purchase.

Vent over.

This is when you pull out the sweet "Thank you so much!  That will fit him perfectly next winter!" and put it away. LOL 

[matildasun]

I am sorry she breathed on your child. I am sorry to say I found your description of her audacity really funny and laughed until I couldn't breathe. People are crazy.

[ilikedonuts]

People are crazy!

I actually had someone pick my 11 month old and kiss her neck repeatedly when we were at Disney World. I was so in shock I couldnt say anything.

[hski2349]

Why do people have no filter and feel like the have a right to comment when it comes to babies and kids? I will never understand that.

[stacyb1983]

Dec 16, 2014 12:55:04 GMT -5 sxia said:

"In my day, we DIDN'T BLOW ON STRANGER'S BABIES, YOU FRUITCAKE!!!"

This was my thought too. WTF lady.

[Deleted]

See, THIS is where I go off. I want my child to KNOW that it's NOT OK for strangers to TOUCH HIM EVER. I feel like if I don't take a FIRM stand LOUDLY when things like this happen he won't realize how inappropriate it is to be touched by strangers.

Also he needs to know that his body is HIS and other people have the same ownership over there own bodies. This is an IMPORTANT lesson for me to teach him.

When things like this happen ( and things like this have happened to me twice) I will say LOUDLY " DON'T TOUCH MY CHILD." and then if they try to explain it away I will say " It is so UNFORTUNATE for you that you would TOUCH MY CHILD like that when it is CLEARLY NOT OKAY. You must be really embarrased." and walk away.

My son is really good now at telling other grownups to not touch him and that it's NOT OKAY to move him or pick him up etc. I am really glad I taught him good body boundaries.

[redpenmama]

What the hell?! Did you say anything? I would probably be so caught off guard that I would be rendered speechless.

When we took my DD to FIL's work to visit, one of his employees asked if she had any teeth yet. I said no. She said, "Let's see if any are coming in" and attempted to stick her finger in her mouth to check. I pulled her away quickly to prevent the near-stranger from sticking her dirty hand in my daughter's mouth.

People are unbelievable.

[sjh722]

Dec 16, 2014 13:00:42 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

I'm sorry that happened to you.

Man, I really hope I learn to keep my mouth shut when I get older.

MIL has been talking up a storm about my DS's winter coat for the past 2 weeks. She thinks it's too small, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Then she calls to tell me she bought him a size 2T "bubble coat". She never buys him anything, so I take this as her trying to passively aggressively lay down the law? (I'm being sensitive, I know. She cares. But...!)

He wears a 12M Patagonia Down Sweater, which is supposed to fit 12-18M. He's a peanut. The PDS is car seat safe, and should fit him, although likely become snug, for most of all of this winter. I'm pretty sure whatever bubble coat she bought, is not car seat safe. We've already had a discussion about what he can/can't wear in the car, because she's always questioning why he's not in a huge fluffy bunting.

2nd winter in a row of this. I'm sick of it. She expects him to be in a full snow suit, and says he needs a roomier jacket. Hence the 2T purchase.

Vent over.

This is one of the (many) reasons my ILs don't drive DD around. MIL will not shut up about how the baby is FREEZING.

[cincodemayo]

SO WEIRD. WHY?

[Deleted]

Gross.

If I hear from one more lady about how my kids are not warm enough I will freak out.

We go from house to half warm garage to as close as I can get to the grocery store front and back again. They will not catch the plague in that time.

I dress them probably overly warm for outside play but that's to be expected. I mean do I put my down parka on to sit in the car and the walk through Target? NO? Then why the F do my kids need to?

My MIL told me this is an old lady thing because in the day before cell phones and when car trouble was a real and common thing it was much more important. Which I see.

And how did I not know you were in MN.

[Deleted]

Wtf!! Id like to hope I would have stopped this and told her off but I likely would have stood there in shock because, like I said, WTF Who does this!?

[Deleted]

"Oh no! In our house we are all getting over the stomach flu and she had an especially bad case. I had her in that jacket when she had the chills and haven't had a chance to wash it yet. Really hope you don't get sick!"

Not that I would have had the presence of mind to say that in the moment, but I would just love to freak somebody out like that.

[pinotgrig]

That is so bizarre! I bet you didn't wake up this morning thinking you would be telling an old lady to "Get her mouth off your child."

Sorry you had to deal with the crazy.

[GotWine]

What a nut! Some situations I blame on generational differences, but I highly doubt it was OK to put your mouth on some stranger's baby when out in public EVER. I likely would have been too stunned to say anything to her at the moment, but would be fuming after the fact.

[justjen]

What?? no. just no.

[heygrey]

I feel like I need to come up with something to say and practice it if something like this were to happen to me. otherwise I'd just stand there mouth agape in the moment and later wish I had unloaded on the offender.

because seriously, WHO DOES THAT?

[niq]

why, people?!?! just, why?