Take Care of Your Own Kid!

When he can't get what he wants, Oli loves to throw a tantrum know matter where he is. I was removing his belt buckle on his car seat when he suddenly wanted me to give him his truck so that he can carry it around the store. I would have let him do it if it was small enough that he could just carry it easily. But I knew what was going to happen. He was going to either play with it in the middle of the store or have me carry it around. So I ignored him.

He screamed and screamed in front of the car and in front of the store. I started to show him that I wasn't going to do what he wanted by walking away. Of course I was looking over my shoulder the entire time as he's only 21 months. Plus I was probably about 8 feet from him. So he stood there in front of the store and screamed and screamed his heart out.

A woman at the checkout stand was also being as loud as she could be saying, "oh! where is his mother!"  She looked around as Oli started to run towards me. Then when he realized people were trying to talk to him, he started to try to get me to pick him up.

I had about 3 items to grab from the store so I didn't plan on pushing a cart around. Plus, Oli and I go to this store almost every other day and he usually loves to just follow me around, because he gets to be a little independent.

I didn't pick him up when he was wanting me to do so, because I feel as though I have to let him get over some of his fears of other people. He and I are indoors so much that when I get him out of the house he gets extremely shy.

Anyway, this woman somehow managed to annoy me. Now I completely understand why people don't like it when you tell them what to do with their own kids. No matter what.

"He looks really tired," the woman said. "Why don't you carry him?"

"He's not tired," I replied.

"If you got one of these carts, you can put him in it so he doesn't have to walk."

That pretty much did it for me. Usually I would have gone off on her, but I actually stopped myself. I just walked away and ignored her.

I know when my own child is tired or when he needs to walk. I don't need her to tell me what to do or why I should pick him up.