Thu 25 Jan 2018
My new motto going into 2018 into is to stop apologising on behalf of your kids. Let me explain why. They are kids. They don't understand right from wrong. I'm talking as a mother of a 2 year old. I'm hoping as they get older you wouldn't even think to apologise as they should be at an age of understanding and learning how to behave but yes for now when they're at this small age, do not apologise.
I was on the bus once (if parking wasn't so expensive I would drive more just to avoid incidents like this) and my little girl was singing. Not too loudly but loud enough lol. We were sitting in the designated area for disabled/older people/parent & child.
A few stops later an old lady came and sat down in front of us. My daughter continued to sing and I then started to hear huffs and puffs from the old lady. I thought to myself "here we go🙄" she then turned around and said "will you shut that child up!" I was fuming but I had to keep calm. How could she be so rude? I told her that my daughter is a small child that is causing no harm. I could easily tell her to stop singing but she wouldn't listen. Her language and understanding skills are not perfect just yet so it would've been pointless.
I continued to say that if she had a problem then SHE should MOVE because we were there first. She continued to be rude with her huffs and puffs so then I just encouraged my daughter to sing louder. Why should she stop having her fun just because of miserable people?
When I first became a mother, I use to have so much anxiety going to public places and having my daughter scream the place down. I would have people looking at me as if I'm an unfit mother. Then it made me overthink and I started to believe that maybe they were right. I would actually apologise.
Now I look back and think "how silly was I?" Why on earth am I apologising for a child being a child. A baby has pretty much no self control and it's not like they are being disruptive on purpose. Never again will I apologise on behalf of my child. Kids will be kids.
We were all kids once. It's like people forget that🤷🏽♀️
Many thanks to Natasha from Kiddo Adventures for this very honest and true blog post!