People should shut up sometimes!

People sometimes take liberties with women carrying children. I can't stand that. Though I didn't mind when older women touched my belly while I was pregnant (so many of us do, and it should be respected), I do mind people trying to touch my kids, or people telling me how to parent! 

While I can deal with the occasional person reaching for my son's red hair or my daughter's chubby cheeks by growling and walking away, immediately forgetting the incident, I can't quite deal with people giving me lessons in motherhood!

I was walking to daycare yesterday to go pick up my son (2.5 years old). My daughter (4 months old) was in the carrier facing outward inside my big white jacket, while I was pushing the empty stroller for my son to sit in once picked up.

Picture the yeti woman with two heads pushing a bright orange empty stroller, I do look a little crazy!

Huffing and puffing my way to my son, this stranger passes by and dares tell me that I shouldn't take the baby out in this cold (he also referred to my daughter as a "he" when she was wearing a pink hat).... I stopped cold!

Me: "I'm sorry, would you say that this is your business?!"

Stranger dude (insisting): "But Madame, your child is red in the face, it's too cold!"

Me: "Well, first of all I can assure you it's NONE of your business. Second of all, would you like to take HER (notice the emphasis so as to point out that his intelligent self could not even see that it was a girl!), and go get my son too? That would free up my time!"

Stranger dude: "There are ways you know!"

Me: "Oh yeah, I could leave my daughter at home by herself to go get my son, you're right, I'm the bad mother in the story!"

Stranger dude: "There is help you can get!" (getting all pissed)

Me: "Ok, well unless you are willing to pay for a babysitter yourself, I'll be on my way to get my son now! And just so you know, mothers hate being told how to be mothers!!"

And I walked away really worked up...

Is it because I'm hormonal, I don't know but I got really angry at this encounter. I know I'm a great mother, and I know it was cold, but she wasn't complaining. How can people be so tactless?!!!

UGH.