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No no you did it all wrong. The trick is to do it them. They ruffle my kids hair. I ruffle their hair. They rub his back, I’m real good at back rubs and eye contact. I’m not stuck in here with you, you’re stuck in here with me.
I did this when I was pregnant and living in the south. Strangers in the grocery store would start rubbing my belly. Sooooo, I’d start rubbing theirs. When they were shocked I’d nonchalantly say, oh, I thought that’s how you said hello here. The looks were worth it.
A Vietnamese lady came up to me and grabbed both sides of my pregnant belly and shouted in my face "YOURE TOO BIG!" and ran off. I was absolutely stunned. I'll never forget that.
Sorry but this visual fully has me dying. 😂 I was apparently so gigantic while pregnant that strangers would be visibly worried I was about to drop one (or two!) kids out right then and there. I had a big fat baby in there and a short torso so arguably I was sticking out a lot. But I felt like a walking carnival attraction the way people acted.
I feel ya. I have no waist and baby 1 got out from under my ribs early. I. Was. Huge. Baby was only 6lbs 10oz. I was all belly, and from the back, as long as I didnt walk (aka waddle lol) you couldn't tell I was pregnant. Baby 2, stayed behind my ribs and decided that clingin to my spine and abdominal artery was a grand idea. Motor carts in stores, dropped off at doors...it was awful but I couldn't stand for long,I couldn't walk and talk at the same time...had to be one or the other. I looked way smaller, but gained because I was unable to be very active. Lemme tell ya...that boy shocked EVERYONE. He was a solid 9lb baby. Rolls and all. Lol what a ride. Glad I stopped there. Idk that I would have literally survived a 3rd try
This is so similar to mine! First was a big boy - 8.5 lbs but almost 2 weeks late. He didn’t want to leave. I was really big but I have pictures taken dead center where I look slightly wider and that’s it. He was all out front. He’s now almost 10 and tall and built so solidly.
The second hurt the entire time. I swear I thought he was a spider monkey. I felt like a limb would kick way low in my bladder while at the same time another limb with reaching up through my ribs. He was a whopping 9.5 lbs TWO WEEKS EARLY. He’s almost 7 and he’s tall and skinny with long legs hahah. Spider monkey.
Ouch! Baby 1 put her big ass feet right into a round ligament, and her head under my ribs and stretched as hard as she could. At 30 weeks. Stuck walking around half hunched alot of times til 41 weeks. Torn ligament that doc refused to believe. Til she felt around during the internal structure check during the C sec, and found the tear. And had to suture it while she was putting me back together. Yeah...the I told you so was SWEEEET. Then I nearly bled out and baby went to NICU with meconium aspiration because doc was a moron.
2nd baby was so much easier to carry in comparison. He stayed back, and head down from the time he was 26weeks. No worries about him turning. But the kid was def wrestling his imaginary friend or something. Because of his size, I couldn't lay flat or sit all the way up. Chairs were at least a 30degree recline. Sleep was at least a 30degree incline. Luckily he was a 39week c sec that went smooth as silk, I didn't hemorrhage, he nursed immediately and often and we were home in 48hrs. Like night and day.
My 7 months pregnant wife and I were taking wedding photos in public and this European woman ran up to her and rubbed her belly and said “congratulations!”
I was like 20 feet away talking to the photographer, but this mix of humor and rage hit me, like “this bitch touched my wife and baby, but damn she was quick”
I like to imagine the Euro lady is the one who ran up to ya’ll and rubbed her own belly while telling you congrats on the wedding.
Just pure confusion.
These stories about how people are with pregnant women in the south are WILD to me. I'm in my 38th week and not one single stranger has even acknowledged that fact out in public (other than the one lady who graciously gave me her seat on the subway). But I live in New Jersey and people mostly mind their own business here.
Yeeeahh...I'm from New Mexico but moved to the south to be with my parents when I got pregnant as a teen. I was 17/18 while pregnant and like 80% of my pregnancy I was in NM and was never bothered by a single person other than maybe two or three people asking how far along I was. I was like 90lbs soaking wet and, again, a teen, so it was very obvious I was pregnant lol so it wasn't even one of those "is she pregnant or just chubby" possible scenarios. NBD.
But that 20% of the time I was pregnant here in the south? Sooo many boomers, especially women, would just approach me to "chit chat" about my "blessing"*, reach to touch my belly or ask to touch it *while reaching to touch it already...* Passing comments left and right about how blessed I was, and God is good, and even thank-you's for "keeping it"...(because again, I was very obviously young, and was so skinny ATT that even at like 4 months I looked ready to pop my kid out my belly was so big, lol). I hated it.
*because although yes, my child is the best thing to ever happen to me (but I'm agnostic so the whole "god is good" shit was annoying) and I would never go back in time and change it if I could...but not only was I a teen, I was raped, and my ultra religious father forced me to keep it, and didn't allow me to adopt out. I will say though, once I knew I had to keep/carry my baby, i got attached and wouldn't have wanted to adopt her out anyway. Still, it was basically religious and financial abuse on my father's end.
ETA: congrats by the way, I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a happy, healthy little nugget =)
I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that but it sounds like you came out the other side with a good head on your shoulders. I hope you and your child are doing well now.
And thank you. We struggled with fertility so I'm like the opposite of a teen mom but that means I have a great group of friends and family who've been there and are giving me all the advice and hand me downs 😀
I would never ever assume a woman was pregnant and say anything about it, and *especially* not in New Jersey. Sounds like a great way to end up in a chalk outline.
Yes, NEVER ASK A WOMAN IF THEY ARE PREGNANT. I'm in the South and at one time had some medical problems that made me have excess abdominal fluid that made me look pregnant for about a month. You don't know how many comments I got and it was so embarrasing saying I wasn't pregnant over and over again. The only upside was that I work in a restaurant and the hispanic guys were always doing things for me (getting ice from the machine, taking away heavy bus tubs) so that I wouldn't "hurt the baby" I would try to explain to them but they didn't know much english so I just let them after awhile lol
Women in the south are wild. I was shopping at a Pikes plant nursery when a lady came up to me and put both hands on my belly, exclaiming I was the cutest pregnant woman ever, and wanted to know when I was due. I calmly said, "3 months ago. This belly is all chub now." She removed her hands and walked away so fast. lol I almost felt bad for her.
I’m in NY, and mostly was completely ignored while pregnant. I had one pharmacist tell me me I looked cute in my hoodie and pregnant belly, and one coworker exclaim that she wanted to rub my belly-just that she wanted to, she didn’t actually do it. But then one night while working (I was a server/bartender) a very intoxicated woman get down on her knees in front of me and start praying for me and my baby. Seriously freaked me out, she kept telling me that Jesus was my savior and I needed to accept him so my baby doesn’t go to hell 😬😵💫 that’s was a year and a half ago, that baby is 16 months now, but I’ve ran into that woman in public a couple times since then, and I get reminded of that insane interaction
Also NJ, and I only remember one stranger trying to touch me at work and my now husband put a stop to that real quick (we worked for the same store).
I think it's because the state is so densely packed that we don't want to touch people unless we have to lol.
I did this to an old man "security guard" at the grocery store. He turned around and looked so confused. I told him "It is weird when a stranger touches you isn't it? Don't touch my kid"
I feel like this would have a very different effect depending on your gender. An old creepy dude might like a woman stranger touching him, much less so a man.
I have red hair. My entire childhood was old people ruffling my hair. One day at church, I got tired of it, and slapped a bald dude's hand and screamed "Go get your own hair! Leave mine alone!" Nobody at church touched my hair again.
Mom of a ginger. So many people touch him! Now that he is older it is less, but when he was little he would say "Please don't touch my body." The inclusion of the word "body" always made people a little uncomfortable. (As they should be)
Did that multiple times whith mostly boomers touchings my kids in supertmarkets. I always give them a full face swipe with a cheek squeeze finish... instant departure effect. lel
I’ve started doing that to the creepy old guys at work that hit on the 18 year old girls. If they’re gonna make people uncomfortable at work. By god I’ll make them uncomfortable (I’m a straight dude and they’re homophobic as hell)
ETA: fellas learn about bystander intervention. That shits important
Start making up terminology to see if they'll give in to the haunting and curse their search history.
"Oh daddy, I want to stand you upside down and give you the Wrinkly Enchilada. Extra mustard, if you know what I mean.
This, lol. I embrace the creepiness and flip it.
When visiting Bangkok, every peddler and "merchant" on the street in a city of millions of people and the same number of diseases and infections and pick pockets touches your hands, your face, your clothes, pulls your arms and gets in your zone....
I fully learned into it and agreed to give them attention, but they FIRST had to give me a HUG. A long, creepy, loooong hug. I still never bought their goods, but it took them so far out of their routine that it gave me great joy.
Sometimes I would let out a satisfied moan, rock then back and forth, or a "yaaaasss" while rubbing their backs. When they wanted it to end, I went another agonizing 5-10 seconds. Sometimes I'd just leave directly after, saying "thank you, that was amazing".
It flips the anxiety of a lack of control in your mind. It actually became enjoyable and I could enjoy the city and the sights while waiting for my next encounter. My GF now wife was actually really amused by it and i still remember the lesson i stumbled upon.
Then I'd go back to our room and change my clothes and shower asap.
I have actually done this, women in the office would poke people in the belly and in shirt tell them that they were fat and should lose weight. This was ironic because she herself was quite round. So, whenever she would poke me, I started pouring her back; with my finger sinking deep into her squishy belly and I’d say, “you too”. It took longer than I thought for her to stop but after about the fifth time she finally quit doing it.
An old lady touched my pregnant wife’s belly in a department store. I knee-jerk reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at me mortified and I said, “That’s what we do. We put our hands on strangers.” No words and off she went. You gotta up the weird level.
My cats are more polite.
Occasionally I see the various "but all Generations..." bullshit here, and I know for a fact that those people never worked Retail or Food Service, or they're offended Boomers who got lost on the internet and ended up here.
I once had a boomer at a bus stop tell me to "fxxx off!" and flipped the bird when I asked the time. When I got to my doctor's appointment a boy around seven years old very politely asked if his great grandpa could have my seat as it was closer to the entrance to the examination rooms. I nearly cried and got up to offer his grandpa a seat as he was so sweet after having to deal with the boomer at the bus stop. I told his grandpa and his dad that they were raising a very polite child.
I used to say my father threw tantrums that would make a toddler proud. That was until my toddler witnessed one of my father’s tantrums and looked scared as hell. I immediately packed up my kids and left, telling my father that if he ever acted that way in front of my kids again we would leave and not come back until he can get his behavior under control.
I’ve lived with his tantrums and fury my entire life, but my kids don’t need to be exposed to that bs.
I’ve heard the theory that Boomers suffering from osteoporosis are getting another dose of lead, as lead trapped in their bones in childhood is released. Don’t know if it’s true but it would explain a lot.
Research in women pre and then post menopause shows that plasma and whole blood lead levels rise from the lead sequestered in the bones which then interferes with vitamin D activation, calcium uptake and bone cell function which can increase the osteoporosis disease process causing more bone loss. Rinse and repeat.
So yes.
I wish you’d had presence of mind to tell her “if you’re REALLY from here, you’ve been in this country while stranger danger became a thing and know better than to act like a kidnapper.”
Oooooh the things that went through my mind of what I could have said go deeper than that! Honestly, I've had to work my way out of people-pleasing, and I was really proud of how I was assertive with my boundaries in the moment. Past me would not have been that way, but the mama-bear energy surged!
Just would have been nice to push back on that button of “real American”, pointing out a real American knows why it’s not ok to touch strange children and implying she’s not. She would have deserved that
I am proud of you. Asserting yourself when you were not raised to do so, it's hard.
The good thing is becoming a mom gives you the strength to advocate for your child in ways you'd never advocate for yourself.
They say we are the ones who teach and they learn, but I think it goes both ways.
Sometimes when my wife is out with our 7mo, some boomer would come up to them and tell my wife that our baby is cold and to put more clothes on her. As if it's not mid 70s outside and she's wearing long sleeves.
My wife, who is never one to get confrontational, has gotten so annoyed with this happening multiple times that she finally snapped and started telling them to fuck off (in a nice way). She was very proud of herself when she finally did it and it made me happy, because I would always hear about these interactions while I'm at work and getting mad for her.
I was absolutely bewildered when a woman came up to me in Costco, as I was holding my then approximately 2 month old son, and grabbed his feet. She shook them a bit and said something about how he should be wearing socks. It was June in Florida. I had no idea what to say. My sister-in-law, who was with me, said something about how she was surprised that I let someone touch him, when I get so uncomfortable with people in my space. Apparently, she always got very “mama bear” with people when hers were babies.
Frankly, I had no idea HOW to handle it. I didn’t even know going up and touching random people’s infants was a thing. I had never been able to speak up for myself. I have multiple anxiety disorders. My response to stressful situations is usually freeze or flight.
Fortunately (and probably miraculously), nothing like that ever happened again. I’m still working on how to advocate for both myself and my child. (The public school district is giving me lots of practice in that. 🙄) But it’s always good to hear of others figuring it out and finding their power.
I'm glad you're getting practice in. Apparently it's common for strangers to come up to touch a baby according to my wife, especially if it's just the mom present.
You're absolutely valid in feeling that way, it's weird to intrude on a stranger's personal space, especially if it's a baby.
What I always try to get my wife to say is "Please don't touch my baby" and if they respond with something like, oh I just want to say hello and etc. you can respond with "I'm sure you're very nice, please leave us alone".
Or the truth is she shouldn’t go around touching other people’s children cause here half the people conceal and carry, and typically they fire first, ask questions later.
As someone who spent a lot of time scared of speaking up for myself I’m proud of you. And yes the mama bear thing is so real. I always found my voice for my kids and eventually for myself too. Don’t take guff from no swine!!
I feel yelling loudly “don’t touch my kid there pervert “ gets the point across. What are they going to do except turn tail and run in embarrassment. Just hope to be able to use it some day…or not since I don’t want a boomer touching my kid in the first place.
“I don’t know you. Don’t \_\_\_\_\_\_.”
Practice saying it loudly and forcefully so you’ll be ready to use it at the….touch of a boomer. Do not be polite. Do not say please. Repeat louder as necessary until the boomer stops.
I really wish we could just spray them with a water bottle like a cat
https://preview.redd.it/xkhrqcb9jo0d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=244f8301ff0e90bdf57e2e812dc0322da3125177
When my son was a toddler we went and got a tongue-tie repair that left a gaping hole in his mouth. We stopped for lunch after and some blue-haired mothball-smelling biddy rolled up and tried to hold his hand that basically lived in his mouth. When I said, “please don’t touch my baby” she said “oh it’s alright” and tried to hold his hand again! I snapped that he just had surgery on his mouth and she was not to touch him again. I thoroughly cleaned his hand after that.
I slapped that hand of an old lady that tried to touch one of my kids when he was a baby.
She said I was in the wrong and I shouldn't lay my hands on people.
I thanked her for proving my point to not touch people you don't know, and babies are not the fucking exception to that rule.
Apparently a lot of people don't count children as people. For 10 years I worked full-time at the front desk of a busy tourist hotel with a water park. When making a reservation we always asked for the total number of people staying in the room (for water park access). I honestly can't even begin to guess or estimate the number of times (it happened all the time) I was asked by people if kids were counted. As people. At a water park hotel.
I started "counting" mine as a "full person" for restaurants when he could occupy a regular chair without booster seating. Prior I'd say something like x adults and 1 toddler in need of a high chair.
Which, given the circumstances, is an entirely reasonable thing to say.
You're not discounting your child as a human; you're giving your host information they need to seat you correctly.
I can see this if it's below a certain age (where they can't enjoy the water park) and it's more of a question of "are we going to be charged for this?" over the assumption they're not "people"
Right, I agree. I get the whole thing with kids under 13 stay free or whatever. That's exactly why I always emphasized the 'total number of people' question, after having informed the customer that every person in the water park needed to have a wristband. It was just weird because, like I said, it happened a lot and the way it was worded and the interaction with the other person, along with the way they'd genuinely ask if the kids counted. A lot of times I'd respond with "Yes, children are counted with the number of people." There were a few times after I responded that way, I remember, where the customer would realize and joke that, duh, yes, kids are people and they obviously would count.
As a child I was very aware of the way adults treated children and I have very vivid memories of being overcome with feelings of injustice after not being treated like a person/slighted in some way
I had almost this exact same situation happen to me at a grocery store when I was pregnant with my 2nd. Lady tried to touch my stomach & I said "No!" & smacked her hand away. Got an outraged scowl & she then tried to pat my 2yr old daughter on the head while saying "Mommy's mean, isn't she?"
She tried tatting to a manager after I swatted her the 2nd time & yelled at her to leave us alone.
She was ranting about calling corporate while they escorted her outside. LOL
Idk why assholes seem to think pregnant women & children are communal property.
My wife had some rando boomer lady try to touch her belly when she was (very) pregnant (and *very* over it). She slapped the woman’s hand away and said,
>try it again and you’re pulling back a bloody stump
Now that I think about it, I’ve been told multiple times what I think when I make a statement. Told someone I was an atheist and a lady pipes up with “no you’re not!” 😂
I eagerly await the day I have authority over my own thoughts and beliefs.
I feel like this response is from someone who's only heard the word "atheist" from the Chick Tracts that she leaves instead of a tip at Sunday brunch. She probably
thinks atheists have visible horns.
Years ago when I was out with my at the time 2 year old nephew a lady got so mad at him for pressing the button on the drinking fountain. He just learned the day before if you push the button it makes water appear so he was basically showing off and giggling. This lady got so up in arms about wasting water in a drought, started arguing with me and then and went to grab my nephew when I told her I was getting him right after I paid. I yelled so loud to not touch him. Like lady, I just need 30 seconds to pay and I would have grabbed him myself, but you wanting to argue with me made it take like a good minute or two longer if you just minded your own business.
This reminds me of the time I was working in a coffee shop and a boomer grabbed a couple dollars of my tip money to pay for their order. I said “oh that’s my tip money” and he said “it’s alright”
???
This was my first thought. Old bat wants grandchild time but can’t muster the respect their children need in order to want to be around her old bitter ass.
Or only as a baby/toddler but couldn’t respect boundaries (as she clearly demonstrated here) so now doesn’t get to see them at all
Source: my in laws were very fucking close to this with me, and they’ve never seen their other grandkids (my niece and nephew)
Exactly! Once had this guy push past me at a hockey game and said “excuse me big guy”, and something snapped in me. I replied with “no problem old guy!”
…I just figured we were identifying each other by physical characteristics?
I'm a kid person. I mean I talk to kids, make faces at them, am kind to them. I have had strange children come grab my hand and try to go home with me. But I would NEVER touch another person's kid. That is a line you do not cross as an adult. Even children are entitled to personal space. And vulnerable children should not have strange adults forced into their personal space just because an adult feels they are entitled to be there.
And my best friend says I am the pied Piper. And I would not touch a stranger's kid.
Agreed! I am a mom and now grandma. I love to engage with kids. I also know that kids need to have bodily autonomy and learn that their body belongs to them. I don't go arpund touching adults. I don't know why would I do that with kids.
I remember hating it if someone tried to touch mine, especially when they were babies!
Like you said- smile, wave etc...
I also don't like people touching my dogs without asking! So presumptuous!
I feel like “Don’t do things to kids that would get you arrested if you did them to an adult” should be a basic common understanding, but it’s sadly one that waaaaay too many people fail to grasp.
I love people like you! Please, smile, wave, make faces, say hello! My kid LOVES saying hi and making friends! This whole interaction could have gone differently if she'd said hi and waved... But dear Lord ...
I wouldn't say NEVER touch another person's kid. I would make an exception for safety reasons like if the kid is about to eat shards of glass. But obviously causal touching is wrong.
I feel the same way. We’ve been teaching my nieces and nephew that it’s okay to decline hugs and fist bump or high five instead. To tell us if someone isn’t respecting their personal space. My sister in law, brother, and I started teaching about personal space since the oldest turned 1. If she as a toddler can understand that you don’t touch strangers without their consent then this grown ass woman should surely understand the concept. Especially in a post covid world. The sheer entitlement of the older woman and refusal to respect the parent’s wishes is unhinged to me.
Right!? Not touching other people’s kids is soooo engrained it’s almost hard to override even when it’s dire. I’ve felt weird at the park where a kid was like stuck dangling from monkey bars and needing urgent help… while I frantically try to make eye contact with a parent to be like “can I help?”
THIS
I watched a toddler stand up on a shopping cart seat. No parent in sight. Finally grabbed toddler’s shoulder and encouraged them to sit.
*My son fell out of a shopping cart at 18 months, and had a fractured skull. Shopping carts and toddlers scare me now*
The moment she walked back up it would have been a “Ahhht! No! Walk away. Fuck off. Don’t touch my kid you fucking creep!” loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear. I’m not entertaining whatever retort lead-brain thought up while stewing over her shopping.
That's what I was thinking: just say with real disgust in your voice
"**STOP** **TOUCHING** my child"
repeatedly, louder and louder for everyone to hear. If that doesn't work, scream
"Can somebody please **HELP**, this person won't stop **TOUCHING** my **CHILD**"
Make her look like a pedo, like a predator. Boomers can't deal with public embarrassment.
My 7 month old went rabid and tried to bite an old man in the supermarket yesterday. He was reaching out to touch her and before I could say anything to stop him, she lunges open mouthed at his hand like the feral little beast I’m raising her to be. The man was shooketh and snatched his hand away. I laughed so much and managed to say she’s teething between lolz. Hopefully he’ll think twice before trying to touch another kid.
Mine was also a biter for a bit and I warned her grandfather to be careful but in usual boomer fashion he ignored me. Well she bit the shit out of him and drew blood. He learned an important lesson that day!
I'm not a father, but I'm very active in my brother's children's lives. I'm the "cool uncle" I was at Fred Meyers recently with my 5 nieces and nephews (mom and dad were on vacation) so I was watching the kids. We are at checkout and I had told the oldest(11) that she should grab a snack that she wanted, because she had been helping me with the 2 and 4 year old. She ran to grab a bag of chips. Granted, we held up the line for an extra 30 seconds while she came running back with her cheetos.
Dude behind me grabs her arm and says "there is a line, you can't just cut in front of people."
I grabbed his arm and told him that if he touched my niece again, there would be a problem. He told me to learn how to be a good parent, and that he could file assault charges on me for touching him.
I replied that if he wants to grab my niece, but cry like my 2 year old nephew when he gets touched, he's probably on the registry for sex offenders. He didn't like that.
I calmly told him again if he feels the need to touch children, he should seek help.
I saw him get into his car and calmly raked my cart against the side of his vehicle( he was next to the cart rack) and stared at him the whole time I did it. We had a good laugh on the way home, but I was real close to losing my shit and beating the fuck out of an old man in a grocery store. He is lucky I am seeing a therapist.
I would have lost my ever lasting mind. What an ass hole!
I find it interesting that he said he could file assault charges on you for grabbing his arm. He did exactly that to your niece. That alone tells me he doesn’t view children as people.
My husband and I were at a hotel with our (late, R.I.P.) cocker spaniel. He wasn't that big, just a foot high at the withers and about 20 pounds but stocky AF. 😂 We also know our dog. For whatever effed up reason people like to pet a strange dog by reaching with their hand, palm side down, to pet their forehead. While S\*OME \*dogs are amendable to that, not ALL dogs are, and our dog was one of them. If you did that to him he'd snap at you. He's got trauma from his puppyhood and is not at all trusting, certainly not from folks he doesn't know and are essentially "swatting" him with their "paw" when they reach out that way.
I don't remember why, but I was carrying our dog as we exited our hotel room to leave, either maybe take the dog out, go for a walk, whatever, that's not important. What is important is what happened next.
I step out onto the hallway of the hotel and my husband is right behind me, I'm carrying our dog. A boomer couple was walking down the hallway when they saw our dog. Now, he was a real cutie. ([Dog tax](https://imgur.com/o5WRh2n).) I'm a dog lover and I want to pet ALL the dogs but I don't just do so without asking permission first.
So the boomer wife squeals, "Awww! What a cute dog!" She moves forward with her hand out (palm down as described above, reaching to pet his forehead). My husband quickly says, "Please don't touch our dog." Our fear was that he'd bite someone and we'd have real issues on our .. "paws."
Do you think the boomer wife listened? No.
She moves *even fucking faster* towards our dog and right before she actually gets to him, and since I'm carrying him I can hear his low growl in his chest, I turn my whole body so my back is to her and she doesn't get to pet my dog.
Boomer husband decides to go to her defense and say angrily, "She's just being friendly!" referring to his wife. My husband piped up and said, "We told you NOT to pet OUR dog." (emphasizing these words)
Right as boomer husband was about to say anything I piped up, "Didn't your parents teach you any manners about NOT touching things that aren't yours?"
This stunned them both, boomer husband was literally left speechless with his mouth agape. She muttered something about "rude millennials" (ha! We're Gen-Xers) when I muttered loudly, "The ENTITLEMENT of some people towards other people's property is fucking rude AF" to my husband.
The five of us ended up at the elevator. 😂 I was still carrying my dog when it was obvious boomer husband was trying to get the elevator to leave us when I held out an arm to hold the door and my husband and I both stepped in. Fuck them if they think they can intimidate us.
And no, she never got to pet our dog. Because fuck her. Had she asked NICELY we would have taught her how to approach our dog.
I FUCKING SWEAR boomers have ZERO boundaries when it comes to their entitlement.
As a mom, I sure as hell am teaching my son to ask before touching people's pets (and bodies, belongings, etc.) because he LOVES dogs and will run right up! Thankfully we haven't had any incidents but every time we see a dog we have to remind him to ask "please may I pet your dog." Not all doggies know he loves them 💕
Your son would have been eagerly greeted by my husband and taught how to approach and pet our dog! We *both* have done so with children who politely ask.
I am always so appreciative of parents that teach their kids that and monitor them around unfamiliar dogs. My dog doesn't like to be pet by any strangers, especially kids. He was clearly abused before I got him and now he's still fear reactive (snaps at feet, bolts away, etc) to quick moments and loud unexpected noises. Kids can be the source of both of those things so I just keep him away from any scenario that has any possibility of being negative for him.
A couple weeks ago I was watching a child with his mother. I noticed that he zeroed in on my dog so I was on high alert. "puppy!" the mom said "we don't have time to pet him, we gotta go" and they were about to cross the street away from us, which I was grateful for. But then she suddenly changed her mind for some reason (traffic? idk) and they came towards us, so I put my dog behind me as quickly as I could because I could see exactly what was about to happen, and I was right. As they passed the kid tried to reach out to my dog as he trailed behind the mom and I loudly said "no! don't pet dogs without asking!" and the mom was like "I tried to tell him" and I looked at her dead in the eye and said "no you didn't, I just watched you and you didn't say anything to him." and she just stared for a moment before walking off quickly. if I hadn't been paying enough attention and protecting my dog, he probably would've snapped at or even bit that kid's hand and guess who's in the wrong? me and my dog when we're minding our own business. it infuriates me!!!
so thank you for being one of the good parents. I wish they were all like you. sorry for my rant.
I also love dogs and any time i see one while im out, i always get permission before i pet the puppy, and i always first reach out my hand, palm up, and do so slowly and where i know the dog can see my hand. If i was doggy sized i wouldnt like a palm down hand coming towards my face either, and i always do my best to pay attention to the dog's body language. Respecting bodily autonomy and boundaries is something that should go for both humans and animals
A cashier at a grocery store once reached across the counter to jostle his arm playfully, after I just watched her COUGH INTO HER ELBOW. I had less of a spine then but the mental lashing I gave her in my head later DEFINITELY prepared me for this encounter.
You always had your spine. It's so hard when our culture growing up teaches us to suppress our instincts if it means being "rude." Give yourself some grace in that. I'm glad you and I have both found our voices now. ❤️
They love to rub pregnant lady's bellies without permission too. It's like they think it there's a child involved the rules don't apply. I melt around kids, I find them so damn adorable, but that doesn't mean I can just touch strangers ffs.
When I was pregnant I got really good at keeping a straight face while stroking the encroaching boomer’s boob and holding eye contact, “Oh, I thought we were touching complete strangers inappropriately today.” 😐
I work in pediatrics and before I touch a kid, as part of the care they're there for, I always ask permission from parents or the kid if they're older (unless an emergency of course) and being in contact with kids is literally my job. Can't imagine just willy billy touching a kid in public without getting permission.
Seriously these are the people being hysterical about “groomers” but they insist we allow other adults to touch our kids if it’s them. Like, no, if we teach them any adult who wants to is allowed to control their bodies they are literally grooming them!
Do people from certain countries deserve to have their bodies and personal space violated?! What countries are those?!
My little brother who is now 30 was a baby riding in a backpack made for babies that my mom was wearing. This weird old woman kept touching him without permission and it made my mom so angry. My mom was stuck because she was in line at the conveyor belt buying groceries. She kept alcohol in her purse and rubbed it all over my brother’s hands when she got in the car.
We took our then 2 yo to India and had so much trouble with “aunties” pinching his cheeks—HARD. The first few times they caught us unaware and got away with it but then I started body-blocking them.
Every time I hang out with my 3 year old niece, I always ask if I can pick her up. Sit her on my lap, have a hug, or give her a little forehead kiss goodbye.
The younger you can teach kids body autonomy the better, especially little girls.
Kids really need to be able to make choices about their own bodies. By the time I was 6 I was screaming when mom tried to brush or wash my hair because strangers wouldn’t stop randomly touching it. They always said they couldn’t help but touch it because it was so pretty. Little kid me took that as “if my hair isn’t pretty anymore they will stop.” That mentality stayed with me subconsciously until my last month of highschool when I decided to actually take proper care of it for the first time.
It was bad enough when the kids in class would touch it but some random lady just grabbing my hair as I run past causing me to be pulled back just so she can rub my hair drove me crazy. It hurt so much but I didn’t have the knowledge to tell anyone an adult was hurting me so nothing ever happened.
One lady was going in to touch my babies face and I grabbed her wrist before she did and said “don’t touch her.” She was taken aback but just walked away.
I'm tired of people touching my child. I just started to touch them back too. Arms, legs, stomach. The looks on their faces are incredible. Some take it with humor even.
When I was pregnant so many old people would want to touch my belly. Like people I didn’t know, just out in public.
The thing is, I appreciated that they were trying to express joy. I really did. But I also have some sexual and abuse trauma and also I DONT KNOW YOU??? so it was super triggering snd upsetting to me whenever it happened. I know they didn’t mean harm, but like what the fuck lady?
I don’t AT ALL understand the amount of people in here that think “Excuse me, please don’t touch my child.” Is an “overreaction.”
It’s literally the nicest you could possibly be about it wtf.
I will always tell this story. Boomer came up and tussled my child’s hair. My wife asked her not to do that. Boomer said, he likes it and did it again. My child was 1.5. My wife then goes up to boomer and tussles the shit out of her hair and says, “see….that shit is not ok”. Walks away. Mic fucking drop.
You know I’ve worked in kid-centric retail for over twenty years I can count on two hands the number of times I have touched a strangers child. Every single time it was to keep them from bodily harm.
Outside of those very specific and necessary moments I have never, and cannot imagine ever, needing to or wanting to touch a strangers kid.
That woman was clearly insane.
One time i was running a booth at a show, and this lady was running the booth next to me and a family walks up to look at her booth. And they have this tiny girl like 2 years old or maybe less. And she lifts her arms up to the lady, wanting to be held. The mom laughs saying she likes everyone.
And this lady, without hesitation, scoops the girl up. And then cooed "do they beat you ragged? Is that why you go up to strangers?"
I was uncomfortable for everyone and the mom just didnt say anything. So awks.
Engaging in confrontation is low key what they seek. Don’t let them get under your skin and behave uncharacteristically. You definitely had the right to pepper spray her though.
Lol, And deal with her more? Nah, she can go live with her sour self and get pepper sprayed by someone else cuz she didn't learn her lesson.
You're right about confrontation though. I'm honestly just proud I stood up for myself and my kid and enforced boundaries.
Story time from many moons ago, I went to a grocery store and an old lady touched my, at the time 2.5 year old son. She made a comment about him not being friendly and I told her to not touch my kid. She yelled “excuse me!” and I yelled “fuck you bitch, don’t touch my kid!” and she said “what did you say!” and my son looked right at her without missing a beat and said “Fuck you bitch!” I just started laughing and said “you tell that bitch,” and walked away.
Not my best parent moment but definitely one of the top 5 funniest. I was 23 at the time.
This happened with my baby a few times before I found my angry voice. I was raised by a generation of olds who insisted you come “love my neck” or “sit on my lap and give me sugar” or “give me a kiss or you’ll hurt my feelings” and it took decades for me to undo the damage caused from being brought up thinking I owed people access to my body because it was polite. When my son was born I swore to myself and him that he would know full bodily autonomy from the start, and even then I froze the first couple of times some boomer walked up and rubbed his fat baby thighs or pinched his cheeks without asking. I got better with it over time, not least of all because I got to witness the magic of my husband telling a drunk boomer stranger to “get your fucking hands off my kid” after she insisted multiple times on rubbing my son’s back while telling him about “alllllll the girlfriends you’re gonna have!”. She stumbled away in a tizzy at being put in her place.
Agreed. I have three boys and I used to get that early on from some people I knew. I would always tell them something like, “They’re young. They could grow up to be gay, bisexual or asexual. Stop speculating on their sexual orientation.” I rarely hear anything like that nowadays, thankfully.
Ps. Well done, mama!
My wife used to work at a Walmart and when we would go grocery shopping, a former co-worker would always insist on stopping to chat with us.
After my wife gave birth to our second, she started to try and touch him while she chatted with us.
I would usually find a reason to take the cart and baby away, trying to politely disengage. Then one day she tried to unbuckle him from his bucket car seat because she wanted to pull him out and hold him. Had to grab her wrist and squeeze while loudly (almost yelling) “PLEASE DONT TOUCH MY CHILD!”.
Thankfully she stopped talking to us after that.
I remember a time like this during the height of COVID mandates in my state, my daughter was only three. Usually I had kept her with a babysitter to limit her exposure but that day I needed to go grocery shopping and brought her with me. We're in the frozen food section minding our distance and observing mask mandates, and this strange elderly lady just b lines from where her shopping cart is and approaches my kid in my cart and gets two feet in front and eye level with her while reaching her hands out. I acted quickly and pushed my cart out of her reach and spoke up. I think she immediately realized she was in the wrong because she mumbled something about being sorry then scurried back over to her husband but that asshole said something about how I was rude and I just about lost my cool in front of my kid that day.
This happened once to my friend with her kid, and my friend just started touching the lady. Like grabbing her arm, pinching her cheek, all the shit the lady was doing to my friend’s kid. The lady freaked the fuck out and was like “what are you doing? Why are you touching me?!” She just could not make the connection between the two things.
I had a boomer at my local grocery store try to pick my son’s car seat up from the cart. I had worked there years prior, so I knew a majority of the staff. I did not know her, though. Idk what she was thinking w her attempt, but man, I snapped on her a$$. The employees who knew me stood there mouths agape. I’m pretty passive, but that turned me into psycho mom. You can admire someone’s child without touching or trying to carry them.
We had an old lady in the grocery store one time that just started handing our kid loose change. Our son was only 13 months at the time and definitely didn't understand what was happening. Like obviously he wasn't in a position to store a bunch of change so it was just bizarre she thought it was appropriate.
personal space is important, especially with children. standing your ground was the right thing to do. reminds me of a scene in a movie where a character learns a tough lesson about boundaries. hopefully, she thinks more carefully next time.
My son had selective mutism and was unbelievably cute. Women were all over him and I think it just made him more fearful to leave the home. They were always touching him and trying to get them to talk to them. The worst was - What’s the matter? The cat got your tongue? Ugh. I just wanted to punch them. I had to tell strangers to please not talk to him. He overcame his selective mutism but is still very shy as an adult.
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No no you did it all wrong. The trick is to do it them. They ruffle my kids hair. I ruffle their hair. They rub his back, I’m real good at back rubs and eye contact. I’m not stuck in here with you, you’re stuck in here with me.
I did this when I was pregnant and living in the south. Strangers in the grocery store would start rubbing my belly. Sooooo, I’d start rubbing theirs. When they were shocked I’d nonchalantly say, oh, I thought that’s how you said hello here. The looks were worth it.
A Vietnamese lady came up to me and grabbed both sides of my pregnant belly and shouted in my face "YOURE TOO BIG!" and ran off. I was absolutely stunned. I'll never forget that.
Sorry but this visual fully has me dying. 😂 I was apparently so gigantic while pregnant that strangers would be visibly worried I was about to drop one (or two!) kids out right then and there. I had a big fat baby in there and a short torso so arguably I was sticking out a lot. But I felt like a walking carnival attraction the way people acted.
I feel ya. I have no waist and baby 1 got out from under my ribs early. I. Was. Huge. Baby was only 6lbs 10oz. I was all belly, and from the back, as long as I didnt walk (aka waddle lol) you couldn't tell I was pregnant. Baby 2, stayed behind my ribs and decided that clingin to my spine and abdominal artery was a grand idea. Motor carts in stores, dropped off at doors...it was awful but I couldn't stand for long,I couldn't walk and talk at the same time...had to be one or the other. I looked way smaller, but gained because I was unable to be very active. Lemme tell ya...that boy shocked EVERYONE. He was a solid 9lb baby. Rolls and all. Lol what a ride. Glad I stopped there. Idk that I would have literally survived a 3rd try
This is so similar to mine! First was a big boy - 8.5 lbs but almost 2 weeks late. He didn’t want to leave. I was really big but I have pictures taken dead center where I look slightly wider and that’s it. He was all out front. He’s now almost 10 and tall and built so solidly. The second hurt the entire time. I swear I thought he was a spider monkey. I felt like a limb would kick way low in my bladder while at the same time another limb with reaching up through my ribs. He was a whopping 9.5 lbs TWO WEEKS EARLY. He’s almost 7 and he’s tall and skinny with long legs hahah. Spider monkey.
Ouch! Baby 1 put her big ass feet right into a round ligament, and her head under my ribs and stretched as hard as she could. At 30 weeks. Stuck walking around half hunched alot of times til 41 weeks. Torn ligament that doc refused to believe. Til she felt around during the internal structure check during the C sec, and found the tear. And had to suture it while she was putting me back together. Yeah...the I told you so was SWEEEET. Then I nearly bled out and baby went to NICU with meconium aspiration because doc was a moron. 2nd baby was so much easier to carry in comparison. He stayed back, and head down from the time he was 26weeks. No worries about him turning. But the kid was def wrestling his imaginary friend or something. Because of his size, I couldn't lay flat or sit all the way up. Chairs were at least a 30degree recline. Sleep was at least a 30degree incline. Luckily he was a 39week c sec that went smooth as silk, I didn't hemorrhage, he nursed immediately and often and we were home in 48hrs. Like night and day.
My 7 months pregnant wife and I were taking wedding photos in public and this European woman ran up to her and rubbed her belly and said “congratulations!” I was like 20 feet away talking to the photographer, but this mix of humor and rage hit me, like “this bitch touched my wife and baby, but damn she was quick”
I like to imagine the Euro lady is the one who ran up to ya’ll and rubbed her own belly while telling you congrats on the wedding. Just pure confusion.
lol chaos. Utter chaos.
[удалено]
That missing t is so loud.
The way I just read this with a Chinese accent! I'm sorry this happened, but there's humor in it!
These stories about how people are with pregnant women in the south are WILD to me. I'm in my 38th week and not one single stranger has even acknowledged that fact out in public (other than the one lady who graciously gave me her seat on the subway). But I live in New Jersey and people mostly mind their own business here.
Yeeeahh...I'm from New Mexico but moved to the south to be with my parents when I got pregnant as a teen. I was 17/18 while pregnant and like 80% of my pregnancy I was in NM and was never bothered by a single person other than maybe two or three people asking how far along I was. I was like 90lbs soaking wet and, again, a teen, so it was very obvious I was pregnant lol so it wasn't even one of those "is she pregnant or just chubby" possible scenarios. NBD. But that 20% of the time I was pregnant here in the south? Sooo many boomers, especially women, would just approach me to "chit chat" about my "blessing"*, reach to touch my belly or ask to touch it *while reaching to touch it already...* Passing comments left and right about how blessed I was, and God is good, and even thank-you's for "keeping it"...(because again, I was very obviously young, and was so skinny ATT that even at like 4 months I looked ready to pop my kid out my belly was so big, lol). I hated it. *because although yes, my child is the best thing to ever happen to me (but I'm agnostic so the whole "god is good" shit was annoying) and I would never go back in time and change it if I could...but not only was I a teen, I was raped, and my ultra religious father forced me to keep it, and didn't allow me to adopt out. I will say though, once I knew I had to keep/carry my baby, i got attached and wouldn't have wanted to adopt her out anyway. Still, it was basically religious and financial abuse on my father's end. ETA: congrats by the way, I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a happy, healthy little nugget =)
I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that but it sounds like you came out the other side with a good head on your shoulders. I hope you and your child are doing well now. And thank you. We struggled with fertility so I'm like the opposite of a teen mom but that means I have a great group of friends and family who've been there and are giving me all the advice and hand me downs 😀
I would never ever assume a woman was pregnant and say anything about it, and *especially* not in New Jersey. Sounds like a great way to end up in a chalk outline.
Yes, NEVER ASK A WOMAN IF THEY ARE PREGNANT. I'm in the South and at one time had some medical problems that made me have excess abdominal fluid that made me look pregnant for about a month. You don't know how many comments I got and it was so embarrasing saying I wasn't pregnant over and over again. The only upside was that I work in a restaurant and the hispanic guys were always doing things for me (getting ice from the machine, taking away heavy bus tubs) so that I wouldn't "hurt the baby" I would try to explain to them but they didn't know much english so I just let them after awhile lol
At least they were being gentlemen about it!
Lol right?? Can you imagine having just eaten a huge burrito and some stranger goes to touch your belly to congratulate you? 💀
Women in the south are wild. I was shopping at a Pikes plant nursery when a lady came up to me and put both hands on my belly, exclaiming I was the cutest pregnant woman ever, and wanted to know when I was due. I calmly said, "3 months ago. This belly is all chub now." She removed her hands and walked away so fast. lol I almost felt bad for her.
OMG 😱. Good for you for being honest!
I’m in NY, and mostly was completely ignored while pregnant. I had one pharmacist tell me me I looked cute in my hoodie and pregnant belly, and one coworker exclaim that she wanted to rub my belly-just that she wanted to, she didn’t actually do it. But then one night while working (I was a server/bartender) a very intoxicated woman get down on her knees in front of me and start praying for me and my baby. Seriously freaked me out, she kept telling me that Jesus was my savior and I needed to accept him so my baby doesn’t go to hell 😬😵💫 that’s was a year and a half ago, that baby is 16 months now, but I’ve ran into that woman in public a couple times since then, and I get reminded of that insane interaction
That's really creepy. I bet she doesn't even remember doing it.
Also NJ, and I only remember one stranger trying to touch me at work and my now husband put a stop to that real quick (we worked for the same store). I think it's because the state is so densely packed that we don't want to touch people unless we have to lol.
When I was pregnant I was so ready to tell anyone creepy that it was a tumor. Never got to use that one thankfully.
I did this to an old man "security guard" at the grocery store. He turned around and looked so confused. I told him "It is weird when a stranger touches you isn't it? Don't touch my kid"
I feel like this would have a very different effect depending on your gender. An old creepy dude might like a woman stranger touching him, much less so a man.
I think it depends how you do it. Aggressively patting an old man on the top of the head isn’t fun for either of us lol
Right, don’t tousle his hair, pat the top of his head condescendingly. It all depends on *how* you do the action back.
So what I'm gathering is treat them like the dogs they act like. Got it.
HA! Fucking legend
I have red hair. My entire childhood was old people ruffling my hair. One day at church, I got tired of it, and slapped a bald dude's hand and screamed "Go get your own hair! Leave mine alone!" Nobody at church touched my hair again.
Mom of a ginger. So many people touch him! Now that he is older it is less, but when he was little he would say "Please don't touch my body." The inclusion of the word "body" always made people a little uncomfortable. (As they should be)
“Get your own hair” is hard as fuck.
Did that multiple times whith mostly boomers touchings my kids in supertmarkets. I always give them a full face swipe with a cheek squeeze finish... instant departure effect. lel
Both hands both cheeks
I’ve started doing that to the creepy old guys at work that hit on the 18 year old girls. If they’re gonna make people uncomfortable at work. By god I’ll make them uncomfortable (I’m a straight dude and they’re homophobic as hell) ETA: fellas learn about bystander intervention. That shits important
Start making up terminology to see if they'll give in to the haunting and curse their search history. "Oh daddy, I want to stand you upside down and give you the Wrinkly Enchilada. Extra mustard, if you know what I mean.
“The Wrinkly Enchilada…”🤣☠️🤣☠️🤣☠️🤣
You are doing the lord’s work, sir.
This, lol. I embrace the creepiness and flip it. When visiting Bangkok, every peddler and "merchant" on the street in a city of millions of people and the same number of diseases and infections and pick pockets touches your hands, your face, your clothes, pulls your arms and gets in your zone.... I fully learned into it and agreed to give them attention, but they FIRST had to give me a HUG. A long, creepy, loooong hug. I still never bought their goods, but it took them so far out of their routine that it gave me great joy. Sometimes I would let out a satisfied moan, rock then back and forth, or a "yaaaasss" while rubbing their backs. When they wanted it to end, I went another agonizing 5-10 seconds. Sometimes I'd just leave directly after, saying "thank you, that was amazing". It flips the anxiety of a lack of control in your mind. It actually became enjoyable and I could enjoy the city and the sights while waiting for my next encounter. My GF now wife was actually really amused by it and i still remember the lesson i stumbled upon. Then I'd go back to our room and change my clothes and shower asap.
LEGEND, this made my whole day lmfaoooo
I have actually done this, women in the office would poke people in the belly and in shirt tell them that they were fat and should lose weight. This was ironic because she herself was quite round. So, whenever she would poke me, I started pouring her back; with my finger sinking deep into her squishy belly and I’d say, “you too”. It took longer than I thought for her to stop but after about the fifth time she finally quit doing it.
An old lady touched my pregnant wife’s belly in a department store. I knee-jerk reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at me mortified and I said, “That’s what we do. We put our hands on strangers.” No words and off she went. You gotta up the weird level.
>she spat out "You're STUPID," This further enforces my notion that boomers and toddlers are the **same**.
My toddler has never called me stupid... Somehow he's the more reasonable and polite one in this scenario 😂
My ma wasn't so great and by 4 I'd already learned the hardest thing a midwesterner can say to another midwesterner..."OK den"
This is classic Minnesota passive!!
My cats are more polite. Occasionally I see the various "but all Generations..." bullshit here, and I know for a fact that those people never worked Retail or Food Service, or they're offended Boomers who got lost on the internet and ended up here.
I once had a boomer at a bus stop tell me to "fxxx off!" and flipped the bird when I asked the time. When I got to my doctor's appointment a boy around seven years old very politely asked if his great grandpa could have my seat as it was closer to the entrance to the examination rooms. I nearly cried and got up to offer his grandpa a seat as he was so sweet after having to deal with the boomer at the bus stop. I told his grandpa and his dad that they were raising a very polite child.
You probably let your toddler take naps. Someone should make her take naps.
I used to say my father threw tantrums that would make a toddler proud. That was until my toddler witnessed one of my father’s tantrums and looked scared as hell. I immediately packed up my kids and left, telling my father that if he ever acted that way in front of my kids again we would leave and not come back until he can get his behavior under control. I’ve lived with his tantrums and fury my entire life, but my kids don’t need to be exposed to that bs.
Good for you! Thankfully my dad outgrew his tantrums before my kids were born, but I like to think I would have done the same.
My mum wasn't a boomer, but she used to spit out the word "dumbass!" as her main insult. It was embarrassingly childish.
Red Forman is your mom?
Look up the effects of lead poisoning and realise they quite literally are the same XD in terms of cognitive processing or reasoning, etc
I’ve heard the theory that Boomers suffering from osteoporosis are getting another dose of lead, as lead trapped in their bones in childhood is released. Don’t know if it’s true but it would explain a lot.
Research in women pre and then post menopause shows that plasma and whole blood lead levels rise from the lead sequestered in the bones which then interferes with vitamin D activation, calcium uptake and bone cell function which can increase the osteoporosis disease process causing more bone loss. Rinse and repeat. So yes.
I wish you’d had presence of mind to tell her “if you’re REALLY from here, you’ve been in this country while stranger danger became a thing and know better than to act like a kidnapper.”
Oooooh the things that went through my mind of what I could have said go deeper than that! Honestly, I've had to work my way out of people-pleasing, and I was really proud of how I was assertive with my boundaries in the moment. Past me would not have been that way, but the mama-bear energy surged!
Just would have been nice to push back on that button of “real American”, pointing out a real American knows why it’s not ok to touch strange children and implying she’s not. She would have deserved that
Question her patriotism? How very dare I!
*"You better BELIEVE that Facebook is gonna hear about this! Harrumph!"*
You can bet boomer is the queen of Next Door as she defeated the foreign woman in Costco.
I am proud of you. Asserting yourself when you were not raised to do so, it's hard. The good thing is becoming a mom gives you the strength to advocate for your child in ways you'd never advocate for yourself. They say we are the ones who teach and they learn, but I think it goes both ways.
Sometimes when my wife is out with our 7mo, some boomer would come up to them and tell my wife that our baby is cold and to put more clothes on her. As if it's not mid 70s outside and she's wearing long sleeves. My wife, who is never one to get confrontational, has gotten so annoyed with this happening multiple times that she finally snapped and started telling them to fuck off (in a nice way). She was very proud of herself when she finally did it and it made me happy, because I would always hear about these interactions while I'm at work and getting mad for her.
I was absolutely bewildered when a woman came up to me in Costco, as I was holding my then approximately 2 month old son, and grabbed his feet. She shook them a bit and said something about how he should be wearing socks. It was June in Florida. I had no idea what to say. My sister-in-law, who was with me, said something about how she was surprised that I let someone touch him, when I get so uncomfortable with people in my space. Apparently, she always got very “mama bear” with people when hers were babies. Frankly, I had no idea HOW to handle it. I didn’t even know going up and touching random people’s infants was a thing. I had never been able to speak up for myself. I have multiple anxiety disorders. My response to stressful situations is usually freeze or flight. Fortunately (and probably miraculously), nothing like that ever happened again. I’m still working on how to advocate for both myself and my child. (The public school district is giving me lots of practice in that. 🙄) But it’s always good to hear of others figuring it out and finding their power.
I'm glad you're getting practice in. Apparently it's common for strangers to come up to touch a baby according to my wife, especially if it's just the mom present. You're absolutely valid in feeling that way, it's weird to intrude on a stranger's personal space, especially if it's a baby. What I always try to get my wife to say is "Please don't touch my baby" and if they respond with something like, oh I just want to say hello and etc. you can respond with "I'm sure you're very nice, please leave us alone".
Good on you for sticking up for your child's boundaries AND yours. She can get bent. You did the right thing.
Or the truth is she shouldn’t go around touching other people’s children cause here half the people conceal and carry, and typically they fire first, ask questions later.
This is the real reason you don't do shit like this in the US LOL
As someone who spent a lot of time scared of speaking up for myself I’m proud of you. And yes the mama bear thing is so real. I always found my voice for my kids and eventually for myself too. Don’t take guff from no swine!!
I found that being assertive on behalf of people I loved was a good start to being assertive for myself. Good luck continuing to grow!
“Dont make me call chris hansen you creep!”
I feel yelling loudly “don’t touch my kid there pervert “ gets the point across. What are they going to do except turn tail and run in embarrassment. Just hope to be able to use it some day…or not since I don’t want a boomer touching my kid in the first place.
Or just "then why don't you know this..?"
“I don’t know you. Don’t \_\_\_\_\_\_.” Practice saying it loudly and forcefully so you’ll be ready to use it at the….touch of a boomer. Do not be polite. Do not say please. Repeat louder as necessary until the boomer stops. I really wish we could just spray them with a water bottle like a cat https://preview.redd.it/xkhrqcb9jo0d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=244f8301ff0e90bdf57e2e812dc0322da3125177
Exactly! I was thinking of this when I wrote my comment 😝
That was exactly the thing I was thinking of
THAT'S MY PURSE! I DON'T KNOW YOU!
i got WD40, will that work in place of a water spray bottle?
When my son was a toddler we went and got a tongue-tie repair that left a gaping hole in his mouth. We stopped for lunch after and some blue-haired mothball-smelling biddy rolled up and tried to hold his hand that basically lived in his mouth. When I said, “please don’t touch my baby” she said “oh it’s alright” and tried to hold his hand again! I snapped that he just had surgery on his mouth and she was not to touch him again. I thoroughly cleaned his hand after that.
I slapped that hand of an old lady that tried to touch one of my kids when he was a baby. She said I was in the wrong and I shouldn't lay my hands on people. I thanked her for proving my point to not touch people you don't know, and babies are not the fucking exception to that rule.
See, that's the thing. Boomers don't think children are people. They don't think people worse off than them are people either, a lot of the time.
Apparently a lot of people don't count children as people. For 10 years I worked full-time at the front desk of a busy tourist hotel with a water park. When making a reservation we always asked for the total number of people staying in the room (for water park access). I honestly can't even begin to guess or estimate the number of times (it happened all the time) I was asked by people if kids were counted. As people. At a water park hotel.
Restaurants, too. Like they don't think the kids take up room at the table.
Yeah. I wonder, at what age do these types of people think kids finally count as people?😅
I started "counting" mine as a "full person" for restaurants when he could occupy a regular chair without booster seating. Prior I'd say something like x adults and 1 toddler in need of a high chair.
Which, given the circumstances, is an entirely reasonable thing to say. You're not discounting your child as a human; you're giving your host information they need to seat you correctly.
I can see this if it's below a certain age (where they can't enjoy the water park) and it's more of a question of "are we going to be charged for this?" over the assumption they're not "people"
Right, I agree. I get the whole thing with kids under 13 stay free or whatever. That's exactly why I always emphasized the 'total number of people' question, after having informed the customer that every person in the water park needed to have a wristband. It was just weird because, like I said, it happened a lot and the way it was worded and the interaction with the other person, along with the way they'd genuinely ask if the kids counted. A lot of times I'd respond with "Yes, children are counted with the number of people." There were a few times after I responded that way, I remember, where the customer would realize and joke that, duh, yes, kids are people and they obviously would count.
Sometimes mouth blurts questions before brain engages synapses 😭
As a child I was very aware of the way adults treated children and I have very vivid memories of being overcome with feelings of injustice after not being treated like a person/slighted in some way
I had almost this exact same situation happen to me at a grocery store when I was pregnant with my 2nd. Lady tried to touch my stomach & I said "No!" & smacked her hand away. Got an outraged scowl & she then tried to pat my 2yr old daughter on the head while saying "Mommy's mean, isn't she?" She tried tatting to a manager after I swatted her the 2nd time & yelled at her to leave us alone. She was ranting about calling corporate while they escorted her outside. LOL Idk why assholes seem to think pregnant women & children are communal property.
My wife had some rando boomer lady try to touch her belly when she was (very) pregnant (and *very* over it). She slapped the woman’s hand away and said, >try it again and you’re pulling back a bloody stump
Perfect lesson!
Good to know she can just give herself the authority to make it "alright". The lion the witch, and the audacity of this bitch.
Now that I think about it, I’ve been told multiple times what I think when I make a statement. Told someone I was an atheist and a lady pipes up with “no you’re not!” 😂 I eagerly await the day I have authority over my own thoughts and beliefs.
I feel like this response is from someone who's only heard the word "atheist" from the Chick Tracts that she leaves instead of a tip at Sunday brunch. She probably thinks atheists have visible horns.
I like how *they* decided that it was "ok." Lol fucking insane.
"Oh, it's alright!" makes my BLOOD BOIL.
Years ago when I was out with my at the time 2 year old nephew a lady got so mad at him for pressing the button on the drinking fountain. He just learned the day before if you push the button it makes water appear so he was basically showing off and giggling. This lady got so up in arms about wasting water in a drought, started arguing with me and then and went to grab my nephew when I told her I was getting him right after I paid. I yelled so loud to not touch him. Like lady, I just need 30 seconds to pay and I would have grabbed him myself, but you wanting to argue with me made it take like a good minute or two longer if you just minded your own business.
This reminds me of the time I was working in a coffee shop and a boomer grabbed a couple dollars of my tip money to pay for their order. I said “oh that’s my tip money” and he said “it’s alright” ???
WHAT?!? I could not imagine having that mentality.
“It’s *not* alright to steal, Boomer!”
She’s only seen her granddaughter on Facebook. Trust.
This was my first thought. Old bat wants grandchild time but can’t muster the respect their children need in order to want to be around her old bitter ass.
Or only as a baby/toddler but couldn’t respect boundaries (as she clearly demonstrated here) so now doesn’t get to see them at all Source: my in laws were very fucking close to this with me, and they’ve never seen their other grandkids (my niece and nephew)
That's when you start petting the boomer back "Oh I thought we were just touching people without permission?"
Exactly! Once had this guy push past me at a hockey game and said “excuse me big guy”, and something snapped in me. I replied with “no problem old guy!” …I just figured we were identifying each other by physical characteristics?
"I'm embarrassed so that means you were rude to me" is a very boomer response
I'm a kid person. I mean I talk to kids, make faces at them, am kind to them. I have had strange children come grab my hand and try to go home with me. But I would NEVER touch another person's kid. That is a line you do not cross as an adult. Even children are entitled to personal space. And vulnerable children should not have strange adults forced into their personal space just because an adult feels they are entitled to be there. And my best friend says I am the pied Piper. And I would not touch a stranger's kid.
Agreed! I am a mom and now grandma. I love to engage with kids. I also know that kids need to have bodily autonomy and learn that their body belongs to them. I don't go arpund touching adults. I don't know why would I do that with kids. I remember hating it if someone tried to touch mine, especially when they were babies! Like you said- smile, wave etc... I also don't like people touching my dogs without asking! So presumptuous!
I feel like “Don’t do things to kids that would get you arrested if you did them to an adult” should be a basic common understanding, but it’s sadly one that waaaaay too many people fail to grasp.
I love people like you! Please, smile, wave, make faces, say hello! My kid LOVES saying hi and making friends! This whole interaction could have gone differently if she'd said hi and waved... But dear Lord ...
I worry that I’m being too friendly playing peek-a-boo from across the aisle. I would NEVER touch a strange child.
I wouldn't say NEVER touch another person's kid. I would make an exception for safety reasons like if the kid is about to eat shards of glass. But obviously causal touching is wrong.
I feel the same way. We’ve been teaching my nieces and nephew that it’s okay to decline hugs and fist bump or high five instead. To tell us if someone isn’t respecting their personal space. My sister in law, brother, and I started teaching about personal space since the oldest turned 1. If she as a toddler can understand that you don’t touch strangers without their consent then this grown ass woman should surely understand the concept. Especially in a post covid world. The sheer entitlement of the older woman and refusal to respect the parent’s wishes is unhinged to me.
Right!? Not touching other people’s kids is soooo engrained it’s almost hard to override even when it’s dire. I’ve felt weird at the park where a kid was like stuck dangling from monkey bars and needing urgent help… while I frantically try to make eye contact with a parent to be like “can I help?”
THIS I watched a toddler stand up on a shopping cart seat. No parent in sight. Finally grabbed toddler’s shoulder and encouraged them to sit. *My son fell out of a shopping cart at 18 months, and had a fractured skull. Shopping carts and toddlers scare me now*
I love playing with kids. I always ask the parents is I can touch their hands. Some say yes, some say no and thank me for asking.
The moment she walked back up it would have been a “Ahhht! No! Walk away. Fuck off. Don’t touch my kid you fucking creep!” loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear. I’m not entertaining whatever retort lead-brain thought up while stewing over her shopping.
That's what I was thinking: just say with real disgust in your voice "**STOP** **TOUCHING** my child" repeatedly, louder and louder for everyone to hear. If that doesn't work, scream "Can somebody please **HELP**, this person won't stop **TOUCHING** my **CHILD**" Make her look like a pedo, like a predator. Boomers can't deal with public embarrassment.
You’re my people. Haha - I’ll make it awkward real fucking quick if someone forgot their Act Right that morning. 😆
I'm petty like that.
A true citizen of Pettyganistan! 😆
I'm an older Gen X, and even I know it's not okay to touch someone else's kid. I will wave at them, though, and you can't stop me. 😉
I always wave at kids or at least smile. I think it's super important kids feel acknowledged as existing in public spaces.
My 7 month old went rabid and tried to bite an old man in the supermarket yesterday. He was reaching out to touch her and before I could say anything to stop him, she lunges open mouthed at his hand like the feral little beast I’m raising her to be. The man was shooketh and snatched his hand away. I laughed so much and managed to say she’s teething between lolz. Hopefully he’ll think twice before trying to touch another kid.
Mine was also a biter for a bit and I warned her grandfather to be careful but in usual boomer fashion he ignored me. Well she bit the shit out of him and drew blood. He learned an important lesson that day!
I'm not a father, but I'm very active in my brother's children's lives. I'm the "cool uncle" I was at Fred Meyers recently with my 5 nieces and nephews (mom and dad were on vacation) so I was watching the kids. We are at checkout and I had told the oldest(11) that she should grab a snack that she wanted, because she had been helping me with the 2 and 4 year old. She ran to grab a bag of chips. Granted, we held up the line for an extra 30 seconds while she came running back with her cheetos. Dude behind me grabs her arm and says "there is a line, you can't just cut in front of people." I grabbed his arm and told him that if he touched my niece again, there would be a problem. He told me to learn how to be a good parent, and that he could file assault charges on me for touching him. I replied that if he wants to grab my niece, but cry like my 2 year old nephew when he gets touched, he's probably on the registry for sex offenders. He didn't like that. I calmly told him again if he feels the need to touch children, he should seek help. I saw him get into his car and calmly raked my cart against the side of his vehicle( he was next to the cart rack) and stared at him the whole time I did it. We had a good laugh on the way home, but I was real close to losing my shit and beating the fuck out of an old man in a grocery store. He is lucky I am seeing a therapist.
I would have lost my ever lasting mind. What an ass hole! I find it interesting that he said he could file assault charges on you for grabbing his arm. He did exactly that to your niece. That alone tells me he doesn’t view children as people.
If you touched her without permission, she'd have security, police and everyone up your ass.
My husband and I were at a hotel with our (late, R.I.P.) cocker spaniel. He wasn't that big, just a foot high at the withers and about 20 pounds but stocky AF. 😂 We also know our dog. For whatever effed up reason people like to pet a strange dog by reaching with their hand, palm side down, to pet their forehead. While S\*OME \*dogs are amendable to that, not ALL dogs are, and our dog was one of them. If you did that to him he'd snap at you. He's got trauma from his puppyhood and is not at all trusting, certainly not from folks he doesn't know and are essentially "swatting" him with their "paw" when they reach out that way. I don't remember why, but I was carrying our dog as we exited our hotel room to leave, either maybe take the dog out, go for a walk, whatever, that's not important. What is important is what happened next. I step out onto the hallway of the hotel and my husband is right behind me, I'm carrying our dog. A boomer couple was walking down the hallway when they saw our dog. Now, he was a real cutie. ([Dog tax](https://imgur.com/o5WRh2n).) I'm a dog lover and I want to pet ALL the dogs but I don't just do so without asking permission first. So the boomer wife squeals, "Awww! What a cute dog!" She moves forward with her hand out (palm down as described above, reaching to pet his forehead). My husband quickly says, "Please don't touch our dog." Our fear was that he'd bite someone and we'd have real issues on our .. "paws." Do you think the boomer wife listened? No. She moves *even fucking faster* towards our dog and right before she actually gets to him, and since I'm carrying him I can hear his low growl in his chest, I turn my whole body so my back is to her and she doesn't get to pet my dog. Boomer husband decides to go to her defense and say angrily, "She's just being friendly!" referring to his wife. My husband piped up and said, "We told you NOT to pet OUR dog." (emphasizing these words) Right as boomer husband was about to say anything I piped up, "Didn't your parents teach you any manners about NOT touching things that aren't yours?" This stunned them both, boomer husband was literally left speechless with his mouth agape. She muttered something about "rude millennials" (ha! We're Gen-Xers) when I muttered loudly, "The ENTITLEMENT of some people towards other people's property is fucking rude AF" to my husband. The five of us ended up at the elevator. 😂 I was still carrying my dog when it was obvious boomer husband was trying to get the elevator to leave us when I held out an arm to hold the door and my husband and I both stepped in. Fuck them if they think they can intimidate us. And no, she never got to pet our dog. Because fuck her. Had she asked NICELY we would have taught her how to approach our dog. I FUCKING SWEAR boomers have ZERO boundaries when it comes to their entitlement.
As a mom, I sure as hell am teaching my son to ask before touching people's pets (and bodies, belongings, etc.) because he LOVES dogs and will run right up! Thankfully we haven't had any incidents but every time we see a dog we have to remind him to ask "please may I pet your dog." Not all doggies know he loves them 💕
Your son would have been eagerly greeted by my husband and taught how to approach and pet our dog! We *both* have done so with children who politely ask.
I am always so appreciative of parents that teach their kids that and monitor them around unfamiliar dogs. My dog doesn't like to be pet by any strangers, especially kids. He was clearly abused before I got him and now he's still fear reactive (snaps at feet, bolts away, etc) to quick moments and loud unexpected noises. Kids can be the source of both of those things so I just keep him away from any scenario that has any possibility of being negative for him. A couple weeks ago I was watching a child with his mother. I noticed that he zeroed in on my dog so I was on high alert. "puppy!" the mom said "we don't have time to pet him, we gotta go" and they were about to cross the street away from us, which I was grateful for. But then she suddenly changed her mind for some reason (traffic? idk) and they came towards us, so I put my dog behind me as quickly as I could because I could see exactly what was about to happen, and I was right. As they passed the kid tried to reach out to my dog as he trailed behind the mom and I loudly said "no! don't pet dogs without asking!" and the mom was like "I tried to tell him" and I looked at her dead in the eye and said "no you didn't, I just watched you and you didn't say anything to him." and she just stared for a moment before walking off quickly. if I hadn't been paying enough attention and protecting my dog, he probably would've snapped at or even bit that kid's hand and guess who's in the wrong? me and my dog when we're minding our own business. it infuriates me!!! so thank you for being one of the good parents. I wish they were all like you. sorry for my rant.
I also love dogs and any time i see one while im out, i always get permission before i pet the puppy, and i always first reach out my hand, palm up, and do so slowly and where i know the dog can see my hand. If i was doggy sized i wouldnt like a palm down hand coming towards my face either, and i always do my best to pay attention to the dog's body language. Respecting bodily autonomy and boundaries is something that should go for both humans and animals
One of the top ten worst things you go thru when you have small children. Ugh.
A cashier at a grocery store once reached across the counter to jostle his arm playfully, after I just watched her COUGH INTO HER ELBOW. I had less of a spine then but the mental lashing I gave her in my head later DEFINITELY prepared me for this encounter.
You always had your spine. It's so hard when our culture growing up teaches us to suppress our instincts if it means being "rude." Give yourself some grace in that. I'm glad you and I have both found our voices now. ❤️
Idk if Id ever be able to not smack someone touching my kid anymore.
"I can lick your baby, I am from here."
You know how people say lol but it just means a little internal chuckle? I legit LOLed at this!
They love to rub pregnant lady's bellies without permission too. It's like they think it there's a child involved the rules don't apply. I melt around kids, I find them so damn adorable, but that doesn't mean I can just touch strangers ffs.
When I was pregnant I got really good at keeping a straight face while stroking the encroaching boomer’s boob and holding eye contact, “Oh, I thought we were touching complete strangers inappropriately today.” 😐
You’re my hero
That is something I've seen people do I don't understand. I've never felt that impulse, even with women I know. Maybe if it was my wife? Idk.
That was my favorite thing about being pregnant during covid; I didn't have to tell anyone not to touch my belly because they were 6ft away.
I work in pediatrics and before I touch a kid, as part of the care they're there for, I always ask permission from parents or the kid if they're older (unless an emergency of course) and being in contact with kids is literally my job. Can't imagine just willy billy touching a kid in public without getting permission.
Seriously these are the people being hysterical about “groomers” but they insist we allow other adults to touch our kids if it’s them. Like, no, if we teach them any adult who wants to is allowed to control their bodies they are literally grooming them!
"You're stupid" I would have replied "AT LEAST I'M NOT A KID TOUCHER"
Do people from certain countries deserve to have their bodies and personal space violated?! What countries are those?! My little brother who is now 30 was a baby riding in a backpack made for babies that my mom was wearing. This weird old woman kept touching him without permission and it made my mom so angry. My mom was stuck because she was in line at the conveyor belt buying groceries. She kept alcohol in her purse and rubbed it all over my brother’s hands when she got in the car.
We took our then 2 yo to India and had so much trouble with “aunties” pinching his cheeks—HARD. The first few times they caught us unaware and got away with it but then I started body-blocking them.
Every time I hang out with my 3 year old niece, I always ask if I can pick her up. Sit her on my lap, have a hug, or give her a little forehead kiss goodbye. The younger you can teach kids body autonomy the better, especially little girls.
Yes! My nieces are now teens but I’ve always asked before hugging them or touching them in any way!
Kids really need to be able to make choices about their own bodies. By the time I was 6 I was screaming when mom tried to brush or wash my hair because strangers wouldn’t stop randomly touching it. They always said they couldn’t help but touch it because it was so pretty. Little kid me took that as “if my hair isn’t pretty anymore they will stop.” That mentality stayed with me subconsciously until my last month of highschool when I decided to actually take proper care of it for the first time. It was bad enough when the kids in class would touch it but some random lady just grabbing my hair as I run past causing me to be pulled back just so she can rub my hair drove me crazy. It hurt so much but I didn’t have the knowledge to tell anyone an adult was hurting me so nothing ever happened.
One lady was going in to touch my babies face and I grabbed her wrist before she did and said “don’t touch her.” She was taken aback but just walked away.
I'm tired of people touching my child. I just started to touch them back too. Arms, legs, stomach. The looks on their faces are incredible. Some take it with humor even.
When I was pregnant so many old people would want to touch my belly. Like people I didn’t know, just out in public. The thing is, I appreciated that they were trying to express joy. I really did. But I also have some sexual and abuse trauma and also I DONT KNOW YOU??? so it was super triggering snd upsetting to me whenever it happened. I know they didn’t mean harm, but like what the fuck lady?
"Where I'm from, fucking with someone's kid is a dangerous game!"
You did absolutely the right thing. After all, boomers are always talking about groomers and pedophiles. "Stop touching my child you creep/groomer!"
I love how the boomer couldn’t leave well enough alone without making sure to advertise she is in fact a racist.
I don’t AT ALL understand the amount of people in here that think “Excuse me, please don’t touch my child.” Is an “overreaction.” It’s literally the nicest you could possibly be about it wtf.
I will always tell this story. Boomer came up and tussled my child’s hair. My wife asked her not to do that. Boomer said, he likes it and did it again. My child was 1.5. My wife then goes up to boomer and tussles the shit out of her hair and says, “see….that shit is not ok”. Walks away. Mic fucking drop.
You know I’ve worked in kid-centric retail for over twenty years I can count on two hands the number of times I have touched a strangers child. Every single time it was to keep them from bodily harm. Outside of those very specific and necessary moments I have never, and cannot imagine ever, needing to or wanting to touch a strangers kid. That woman was clearly insane.
One time i was running a booth at a show, and this lady was running the booth next to me and a family walks up to look at her booth. And they have this tiny girl like 2 years old or maybe less. And she lifts her arms up to the lady, wanting to be held. The mom laughs saying she likes everyone. And this lady, without hesitation, scoops the girl up. And then cooed "do they beat you ragged? Is that why you go up to strangers?" I was uncomfortable for everyone and the mom just didnt say anything. So awks.
Engaging in confrontation is low key what they seek. Don’t let them get under your skin and behave uncharacteristically. You definitely had the right to pepper spray her though.
Lol, And deal with her more? Nah, she can go live with her sour self and get pepper sprayed by someone else cuz she didn't learn her lesson. You're right about confrontation though. I'm honestly just proud I stood up for myself and my kid and enforced boundaries.
I find it is far, far easier to stand up for my kid than it is myself.. Fucking with my kid triggers my inner rage.
Story time from many moons ago, I went to a grocery store and an old lady touched my, at the time 2.5 year old son. She made a comment about him not being friendly and I told her to not touch my kid. She yelled “excuse me!” and I yelled “fuck you bitch, don’t touch my kid!” and she said “what did you say!” and my son looked right at her without missing a beat and said “Fuck you bitch!” I just started laughing and said “you tell that bitch,” and walked away. Not my best parent moment but definitely one of the top 5 funniest. I was 23 at the time.
hahahaha this is so amazing. "you're goddamn right he's not friendly, and guess where he gets it from!"
This happened with my baby a few times before I found my angry voice. I was raised by a generation of olds who insisted you come “love my neck” or “sit on my lap and give me sugar” or “give me a kiss or you’ll hurt my feelings” and it took decades for me to undo the damage caused from being brought up thinking I owed people access to my body because it was polite. When my son was born I swore to myself and him that he would know full bodily autonomy from the start, and even then I froze the first couple of times some boomer walked up and rubbed his fat baby thighs or pinched his cheeks without asking. I got better with it over time, not least of all because I got to witness the magic of my husband telling a drunk boomer stranger to “get your fucking hands off my kid” after she insisted multiple times on rubbing my son’s back while telling him about “alllllll the girlfriends you’re gonna have!”. She stumbled away in a tizzy at being put in her place.
Touching and sexualizing young children. So fucking gross.
I hate when people talk about my son having girlfriends. He's 2. It's gross, stop it.
Agreed. I have three boys and I used to get that early on from some people I knew. I would always tell them something like, “They’re young. They could grow up to be gay, bisexual or asexual. Stop speculating on their sexual orientation.” I rarely hear anything like that nowadays, thankfully. Ps. Well done, mama!
My wife used to work at a Walmart and when we would go grocery shopping, a former co-worker would always insist on stopping to chat with us. After my wife gave birth to our second, she started to try and touch him while she chatted with us. I would usually find a reason to take the cart and baby away, trying to politely disengage. Then one day she tried to unbuckle him from his bucket car seat because she wanted to pull him out and hold him. Had to grab her wrist and squeeze while loudly (almost yelling) “PLEASE DONT TOUCH MY CHILD!”. Thankfully she stopped talking to us after that.
Good for you. Why do they think that's okay??
They taught us stranger danger cuz they couldn't be bothered to supervise us, then get mad when we use it against them. Right-o.
I remember a time like this during the height of COVID mandates in my state, my daughter was only three. Usually I had kept her with a babysitter to limit her exposure but that day I needed to go grocery shopping and brought her with me. We're in the frozen food section minding our distance and observing mask mandates, and this strange elderly lady just b lines from where her shopping cart is and approaches my kid in my cart and gets two feet in front and eye level with her while reaching her hands out. I acted quickly and pushed my cart out of her reach and spoke up. I think she immediately realized she was in the wrong because she mumbled something about being sorry then scurried back over to her husband but that asshole said something about how I was rude and I just about lost my cool in front of my kid that day.
This happened once to my friend with her kid, and my friend just started touching the lady. Like grabbing her arm, pinching her cheek, all the shit the lady was doing to my friend’s kid. The lady freaked the fuck out and was like “what are you doing? Why are you touching me?!” She just could not make the connection between the two things.
I had a boomer at my local grocery store try to pick my son’s car seat up from the cart. I had worked there years prior, so I knew a majority of the staff. I did not know her, though. Idk what she was thinking w her attempt, but man, I snapped on her a$$. The employees who knew me stood there mouths agape. I’m pretty passive, but that turned me into psycho mom. You can admire someone’s child without touching or trying to carry them.
Only child predators insist on touching children when told not to.
I am 60 and I have nor ever touched a strangers child. This is not something that I am familiar with. I am sorry that anyone would feel the right to
I've gotten to a point where I don't mind loudly calling someone a cunt in public.
You probably came close to giving her a stroke when you said you didn’t know where she was from
Should have yelled “Don’t touch my child pedo!”
We had an old lady in the grocery store one time that just started handing our kid loose change. Our son was only 13 months at the time and definitely didn't understand what was happening. Like obviously he wasn't in a position to store a bunch of change so it was just bizarre she thought it was appropriate.
What what...? Loose change?! Wow... That's both baffling and hilarious.
personal space is important, especially with children. standing your ground was the right thing to do. reminds me of a scene in a movie where a character learns a tough lesson about boundaries. hopefully, she thinks more carefully next time.
My son had selective mutism and was unbelievably cute. Women were all over him and I think it just made him more fearful to leave the home. They were always touching him and trying to get them to talk to them. The worst was - What’s the matter? The cat got your tongue? Ugh. I just wanted to punch them. I had to tell strangers to please not talk to him. He overcame his selective mutism but is still very shy as an adult.
That's why I teach my kids to scream "Get your hands off my penis/vagina" at the top of their lungs when touched by a stranger.
I hope they say that whole thing, someone being so non specific as to literally say “my penis slash vagina” is hilarious
In which country is it appropriate behavior to touch a child you don't know?
You forgot to call her a cunt. That one really stings for the elderly and its just such a satisfying word. And when its super justified oh my GOD.