The snow is still knee deep on my front lawn, but don't tell that to my daughter. Believing that dressing for springtime will actually hasten its arrival, she has taken to wearing shorts and flip flops around town.
"I want to get out of here right now!" she cried, burrowing her head into my shoulder. Freezing temperatures and a mall food court closed for renovations forced us into the toy department of a large discount super center... for the third day in a row.
"Everyone is staring at me!" she hissed. I looked up from a display of robot action figures to find three women with pursed lips and raised eyebrows standing at the end of the aisle.
One of the women actually clucked at me.
I sighed and patted my daughter on the back. She was shivering and covered with goose bumps.
"They're not looking at you," I assured her and smiled. "They're judging me."
March 8, 2010
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Well I bet she won't be wearing shorts again any time soon :)
They obviously never had a little girl.
LOL-too true! I have no girls and my boys are still young so I don't totally understand, but it does remind me of all the old women that tell me to put socks on my baby after he's taken them off 17 times and I've had to turn around to search for them 15 of those times. Grrr.
When we moved from a cooler climate to a warmer one, my children refused to wear coats all winter. They walked to and from school usually in short sleeves. I got a note from the school telling me that my kids needed coats. I told them, the coats are right by the door, I encourage them to take them, but if they don't, and they don't freeze, I'm not going to make them...plus they can't lose a coat they don't take!
That is sooo true ... it's like I'm always trying to make my husband understand ... when someone comes in to our home and sees a giant mess they don't he's a slob .. they think I'm a slob.
Why do some women do this to other women? I'm absolutely sure that at some point their children have done something like this...
They obviously don't have children! my little boys favorite thing is to get all of his clothes of (we have this limited to right before bath time) and run around the house singing "naked, naked naked!"
i think we must forget stuff when we're older because i've had the same experience in the grocery store when my then 2 y/o was having a full-blown hissy fit because i wouldn't cave and buy her a chocolate bar - the cashier tutted and said to the older lady in front of me how poorly behaved my child was - luckily i wasn't as old as i am now where i no longer feel i need to be politically correct - but i think i did mumble something about sometimes they just need to scream it out and i was sure that wasn't new to my generation of children...all the same it ticks you off when you feel like your parenting is being judged...oh well, we and they all survive!!!!
I think every child has tried to hurry up spring in that exact same way. Last year the school called because I let my son go to school with out a coat in short sleeves.
The Bad Mom Judgment Committee has hit town again! I guess they live back East as well as in my town. Good to know I'm not alone on their list.
I think old ladies forget what children were like! When we lived in England, my friend had a daughter that hated hats... she always took them off as soon as you put them on. We were walking in the town centre at the market and an old lady literally sprinted across the square to replace her daughter's hat and scold my friend for not having the hat on her daughter's head. Of course, the kid just took it right back off again.
You mean flip flops in the snow DOESN'T hasten spring??! I'll have to rethink my strategy then.
since the weather has taken for the warmer turn but the snow not quite completely gone, my daughter has started to wear her capris and shorts to school and just caught her this morning packing her sparkly red flip flops into her bag. I am just waiting for that phone call...
No worries! We've been there and imagine what they say and the looks you get when the stinker who refuses to wear a coat ends up with pneumonia!
I hate when people do that. If they haves something to say then they should just say it and stop staring!
If that is what she wants to wear then I would let her!
Ah, judgment. My Mother-in-Law is all about “Cover them up, it’s cold” while my Mom is all about “Uncover them, it’s too hot.” Forget buttons, zippers and snaps. We should replace them all with Velcro.
Snow is not a problem here in Australia where I live but we used to get similar looks for not wearing raincoats or having umbrella's in the rain when we were young. Seriously you get wetter trying to get in and out of raincoats and who wants to lose yet another umbrella?
it's in the air. my toddler insisted on wearing a t-shirt today, and it's 40 degrees.
Before I was a parent I was one of those people thinking "what kind of mom would dress her child that way??" God gave me a strong-willed kid and I have learned that "that kind of mom" is actually pretty smart and knows to choose her battles wisely!! Love your blog and your thoughts...I love knowing that someone else behaves the way I do sometimes!
Fun blog, just found out about it and thought I would check it out. I have 5 grown daughters. When one of them was in middle school she wore shorts and no coat all year long. One day the principal announced that everyone needed to wear weather appropriate clothing, which included coats. She came home so mad that he would insist on such a stupid thing. She's a mother herself now and wears flip flops all year long.
Last year, my preschool son wore shorts and a tee shirt every day. Even in the snow. I was lucky if he'd take a coat. He complained that pants made him "hot like a burning sun." I can't argue with that, but man! Did I get looks.
This year, it is my preschool daughter and her flip flops 365 days. She is always complaing of hot feet. But you are right, we get judged when strangers don't know the whole story.
I have 3 little girls and when the sun shines more than 2 days in a row (usually beginning in March) they put on their swimming suits. They are sure that it will hurry spring up! We have gotten some pretty lovely stares!
My 3 year old is a bit the opposite. All summer long she wanted to wear her Strawberry Shortcake snowboots. She looked so cute in them with a sundress...
I get that look almost every morning when we walk to school and Isaac either has no coat on or is in the jogger with no shoes or socks on or both. I say, JUDGE ON BABY!
ha, it was 36 degrees this morning and my son asked if he could wear shorts since it was so hot yesterday (got to maybe 50?).....
My 27 yr old sister did the same thing weeks ago - she is so tired of snow she put her flip flops on in defiance. Her kids looked at her weird too.
And a cashier at Walmart instructed me to put socks on my youngest baby a few weeks ago too - it was 50 degrees and he was in sweat shirt/pants and kept taking them off. Seriously - he won't get frostbite in the 60 seconds it takes to get out of Walmart to the parked car. Sheesh.
Once my daughter wore PJs to the gym - it was that or miss my class b/c she insisted as only a 2 year old can. Some days it's just not worth the fight. And if we make them make these choices, they'll learn choices have consequences? Maybe?
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2010/02/15/spoken-like-someone-who-has-never-tried-to-take-a-one-year-old-shopping/
Just read this, it is perfect for the post!
My kids are responsible for packing their own lunches for school. Last spring I got a call from a very concerned school counselor, wanting to know if everything was OK at home and if we needed help getting on foodstamps and on the reduced lunch program. Um....noooooooo....why? Because my 9 year old, who theoretically has two brain cells to rub together & create a spark, took a potato to school for her lunch. Just a potato. In a brown paper lunch sack. Did I mention it was raw?
I put a leftover baked potato on her dinner plate that night and apologized..."I'm sorry, I know you prefer raw potatoes, but you took the last one to school."
Yes, I now check lunches before they get put in the refrigerator.
Meg, I LOVE the raw potato!!!! I can completely relate, my 7yo likes to pack his own lunch also. I have learned I have to monitor its contents. Hes tried taking sandwiches with no contents..plain white bread. Then there are the sammys he makes where he has bread, pringles and mayo. whatever his mind comes up with.
I have been known to judge when it comes to the kids that are lacking a bit in the clothes department. Mostly I try to keep it in perspective in my own head. Kids have their own way of doing things that make them...them. Sometimes its best to just run with it. Im originally from wyoming where when it gets cold...its dang cold. I have witnessed 24 degree temps with 20mph winds and mothers wearing parkas carring 15mo children in t-shirs and diapers, maybe pj pants if they are lucky. So, sad to say it does hinder my judgements a bit. Now, when I think of spring approaching I myself brought out the capris and short sleeve shirts and looked at the temp gauge... a 'warm' 40..I'll brave it.
There are always two sides to EVERY story!!
One of the women clucked at you? Sounds like she might have been from a different generation or never had kids. I'm not sure if I've ever had the pleasure of being judged by other women in public. I think if I did and I got the notion I was, I might have to tell them to mind their own beeswax. ha! Take that and stick it in your bonnet!
You are one funny gal.
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