Parents Butting Heads

What I think I would do is let the lady know that was unkind to take a toy from my daughter with out discussing it with her parent.

We are parents. We are the educators and the ones who are role models. I want my daughter to see a situation can be solved quickly and quietly. I would let the lady go on her way, whether she said sorry or not, that is her own role modeling she is making for her child while showing my child the world is not perfect.

I would quickly explain to my 2 year old to let mama know if someone does that, to share and make new friends. Then I would sit and evaluate the situation at that point to see if I need to be more involve or let the situation go. If the women wants to smart off or cause an arguement, it is up to me on how I want to react. I would at that point ignore it and pay attention to my child who is more worth my attention than the lady at that point.

If my "cousin" wanted to repeat this situation, I would kindly state she is fine with one toy and I actually would encourage her to learn how to share as there is not enough for everyone.

I sense you don't like confrontations, but for your child, go with your instinct and confront. You can confront a person with respect but firmness at the same time. Your cousin isn't the parent. You are and you are the one your daughter looks to for protection from a stranger.

We all have our shock moments, but we need to learn how to snap out of it and re act to the situation at hand.

Edited by: MUTCHKIN21 at: 4/30/2011 (02:53)

HMM I think I can see that you are not only conflicted about your cousin's altercation, but her motives. I would feel awkward about my child having 2 toys and other's going without, but at the same time, it is no one else's place to take things from my child. I think for future situations, you might not have to face this if you explain to your cousin that:
A. you didn't apprecaite her starting the altercation
B. you want your child to understand sharing and not having 2 toys when one is fine and she was most likely happy with 1.

with those two things taken care of, you probably wouldn't encoutner someone taking something from your child again. But if someone finds it necessary to act like a fool again with your kid... just trust your momma bear voice (we all have one, protect your child the best way you know how).

PS Did any of this really upset your kid or just you?

Just to clarify, there would be no incoherent shouting or out of control behavior. The only people I imagine having a problem with my anticipated course of action would be the type of people who snatch toys from someone else's child.

I guess I was a bit colorful with my language. :)

I do not agree with 5ZT9Q0. That would not set much of an example for your child to follow. I would have confronted the woman, told her that what she had done is inappropriate and that if she wanted one of the trains she could've asked you and let the decision be yours.

Oh my! I am not the type of person to get into someone's face. This incident makes me worry a bit about future situations. Will I be to skittish to stand up for my daughter? To me this didn't seem like that huge of deal. I could have done more but I don't know.

5ZT9QO- You would be the crazy one. No need to disrupt everyone's fun day.

"What would you have done?"

I would've made it my goal to make sure everyone in the museum knew exactly what she had done and why it was inappropriate. This could be done a variety of ways, but the most efficient would be a full on verbal tsunami which is executed so perfectly that the woman floats away in her tears and everyone near her jumps into a life-raft.

Messing with someones children is a dangerous game.


Edited by: 5ZT9Q0 at: 4/20/2011 (16:40)

So wrong! taking from a baby who probably if was asked nicely and told will you please give one of those toys to him or her since you have two probably would have. I woudln' even ask myself from a 2 year old, now if older 5 and above I may ask friendly and gently and if they seemed hesitant I would just walk off. What a loser! at the age two we are teaching our children not to grab and things of that nature. Damn lady never got it did she??? I am sorry that happened. I think I would have went to my child and said I'm sorry baby that lady was rude to you and grabbed something from your hand before asking, you know Mommy teaches you to never grab from another. Embarrass that rude lady she may think twice next time!

Wow. I can't even believe some stranger thought it was ok to just take something from a child she didn't know like that. I would have been furious.

I think I would have confronted the other woman about it, and made it clear that she'd better not touch my child, or anything my child had ever again. If she had wanted her child to have the toy, she could have just asked the parent. If it were me and a mother asked, I would have certainly said "sure" and given the other child the extra toy.

People amaze me.

My cousin and I went to the Children's Museum with our children. My 2 year old daughter was playing with train toys. There were many other older children there, 4 and 5 year olds. There weren't enough train toys to go around, but my daughter had one, my cousin found another and gave it to my daughter to play with so she then had two. Another mother completely unrelated to us and unknown to us took one of the train toys from my daughter's hand. My cousin and I looked at eachother, she then stepped in and snatched it back from the woman. They had a small, quiet argument about there not being enough toys for everyone.

I feel like my daughter shouldn't have had two toys, but I also feel like she shouldn't have taken something from my daughter. I feel like she could have asked me if it was okay if she took it from her.

Either way when the situation happened I was frozen with anxiety, had I been there alone I probably would have just let the incident happen and not said anything, as my daughter still had another toy.

What would you have done?