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A few months ago I did a post about my PA peeves, which consisted of my rants regarding noncompliant and often lacking common sense patients. Today, as I scrambled around town, trying to complete several errands with two young children in tow, I made mental notes of the parenting pet peeves I’ve inherited since becoming a mommy.
Two of my biggest pet peeves occurred this morning while shopping at the mall. We had family photos scheduled for this afternoon, an anxiety provoking event for me, and I still had nothing for myself or my husband to wear. I managed to push a double stroller with two screaming toddlers demanding sippy cups and pretzels through narrow aisles and grabbed any shirts that seemed as though it would cover my mushy belly that screams “I’m the mother of two.” As I balanced a diaper bag on my shoulder and navigated my small entourage into the dressing room, I was annoyed to find that the large handicapped changing room was occupied. I grumbled to myself, backed the stroller out of the narrow dressing room while making loud beep, beep, beep noises to entertain my wiggly children, and began the search for dressing room number two.
By the time I ran my wide stroller into the fourth dressing room door frame and found that the handicapped room was again occupied, I was irate. In each room, I bent down, peered under the door and saw one pair of skinny legs.
No toddler feet dancing in front of the mirror while his mommy tried on shorts.
No stroller parked awkwardly by the door.
And most certainly, no wheelchair.
Not even a couple pairs of legs as teenage girls try on clothes together, as my friends and I used to do when we were fifteen. (And I would like to take the time right now to apologize to any mother I may have stolen a large fitting room from).
All in all, no clear indication that a dressing room that large was necessary, except maybe to strut in front of the mirror in extremely short shorts (which just annoys me even more).
The same goes for handicapped bathroom stalls. As a mother with two toddlers, I need the large stall, for one of four reasons…
A. I need to wheel my large stroller in the stall with me
B. My toddler needs to use the potty and I need the space to fit three bodies into the stall and keep her little sister from touching every bacteria infested surface in the joint.
C. My child has a poopy diaper and that stall is where the changing station is located
D. God help us, all of the above.
What I have come to find however, is I have to frequently wait for the handicapped stall to become available, only to discover that the user is neither handicapped or with a child. Instead I have found that the handicapped bathroom stall stealers fit into one of these categories.
A. Obese- Does the roominess of the stall make it more comfortable? Easier to navigate?
B. Squatters- No, not the hovering-over-the-toilet kind, but the ones that seem to take for-ev-er in the bathroom and you’re beginning to wonder if they’re setting up house in there.
C. Stinky- As if the oversized stall at the end of the row is really going to conceal the smell or sounds coming from the user.
D. God help us, all of the above.
My second pet peeve of the morning? Doors. In particular, double doors… the double stroller’s worst nightmare. Have you ever tried to open a door, push a double stroller inside only to discover that a second set of doors stand in front of you; therefore forcing you to squeeze yourself in between the stroller and the doors, open the second set of doors and push and/or pull your stroller through the second set of door? Who needs to work out after accomplishing that task? Phew.
Although annoying, the double doors themselves are not my pet peeve. Nope. I am much more annoyed by the bystanders who watch as I spend 6 minutes trying to walk into a freakin’ store, as I inevitably scratch my heels on the door trying to prop it open, run over my toe as I push the stroller inside, and ram my child’s hand into the door frame because it just isn’t possible to steer the stroller accurately and keep a door ajar at the same time.
What happened to common courtesy?
What happened to the “Oh let me get that for you. You look like you have your hands full” gesture?
I find it rather upsetting that people who actually hold the door for a struggling momma are a dying breed. Since when did being polite become the minority?
When I find myself in this situation (which tends to occur way more often than I would like), I’ve taken it upon myself to loudly say things like, “Girls, when you grow up I want you to remember to always hold the door open for people. It’s the polite thing to do,” or “Lily, do you remember when we talked about manners? That was not good manners was it?” or my favorite quick (sarcastic) remark, “Thanks. I got this. Don’t worry about me.”
Passive aggressive, yes. But for the sake of society I think it might be better than unleashing the fury of this annoyed momma out on a complete stranger. However, with each slam of a door into my heel I am one step closer to releasing my inner hulk on some poor unknowing soul whose mother forget to teach him manners.
And God help that person if they fail to open the bathroom door for me and then walk into the handicapped bathroom stall. I may just lose my mind.
What are your mommy pet peeves?
Ditto!
Biggest pet peeve is parents who don’t watch their children or may think that running around like a banshee is OK. Ugh! An example, at partridge creek at the fountains children put there feet over the fountain hole, and don’t mean to, but they squirt water all over the innocent mom/dad bystanders. I, myself, do not want to be squirted with water as I don’t have a bathing suit on. So either I get up and walk away for that moment or if it continuously happens I say something. Seriously where r ur parents?? Or when they run around screaming and running into other small children…ugh! Makes me crazy. I wish I could get up and shake them!
When waitstaff in restaurants place EVERY SINGLE hot dish or full glass right in front of my toddler. Repeatedly. Even when we obviously clear a space out the baby’s reach for the food. I waited tables for several years before I had kids, and I NEVER would have done that! Where is some people’s common sense?
You just described every single trip to the mall for us! Kohls in particular. I love it when Blair points out that someone else’s child is misbehaving. She’s such a tattletale! Keep the sarcasm going:) Love it!
Hilarious! So sad, but so true! My biggest pet peeve is when other people try to discipline my child when I am standing right there and handling the situation myself – um, I got this, ok, so back off!