Mommy Etiquette

Today I learned a lesson in why you should *never* say never when referring to things you will or will not do as a mother. I am one of those people that is generally very laid back and accepting of other people’s differences and behaviors. I realize that not every one has the same expectations of social protocol and the conventional norm. What is normal these days anyway, right?! There are a few things that just seem to be part of the unwritten code of decency though….or so I thought.

I know you are probably expecting to hear some horror story of a monster child who was viciously throwing kids of the playground or a bitch of a mom that pushed the other kids aside so hers could go down the slide first. Nope, sorry, not this time. This is slightly less out there, but quite annoying and rude, nonetheless.

Lately it seems that every where I turn there is a vile snot-nosed kid, open-mouth coughing and spreading their nastiness all over the place. Every playground and kid-friendly public arena I take my child to seems to be ridden with (more than usual) germs. At the park this morning, some little stinker came right up in my son’s face, opened her germ hole and hacked up a good one, all the while staring at me as her grandma just sat there smiling as if this was perfectly acceptable behavior.

Now I am not one to go yelling at other people’s kids, but I almost lost it. This is why I say *never* say never. I grabbed my kid and loudly said “ewwww, that is so disgusting. We cover our mouths when we cough, let’s get away from her!” Had she kept it up despite this, I would have thrown aside my insistence that it’s a parent’s job to discipline their own child and might have torn her a new one. Ok, I wouldn’t really go that far (she’s just a kid after all), but I would have had to speak up. It was obvious Granny wasn’t going to.

Last week, we were at an indoor playground and I swear every other kid must have had the croup. I felt like I was in the hospital play room with the non-stop barking and nose-blowing. Then yesterday, my friend tells me she went to an open play session at a kid’s gym and 2 kids puked in the ball pit, while their moms just cleaned it up with a baby wipe. Gross!

Why the need to take your kids out when they are sick? If you are going stir crazy, take your child on a walk, go run around in the backyard, go to the beach or some secluded woodsy area where no one else is around. If you really must go to the playground, puh-lease at least teach your kid proper etiquette. Covering their mouths, using a tissue and washing their hands shouldn’t be too difficult. Thanks!