Sunday, April 5, 2009

An open letter to all young mom


 Our children are our pride: we get immense pleasure to witness each development and never tire of talking about their milestones. While pictures and videos keep alive these moments, nothing can really be as vivid as the memories that we moms store away in our hearts. Starting this week, we introduce this new column to you, our readers. Send us a mood picture of your child with a caption of your choice and we will print it here. Let us share the beauty of the lovely moments with each other.

I am not a mother and I will be the first to admit that I really don't possess a maternal bone in my body.

And even though I have never walked in your shoes, I have a deep, abiding respect for what you do. I know how difficult motherhood is and I know that with all its dilemmas and sacrifices, it's also extremely rewarding. It is also extremely important.

You just shape young minds. You are the first interaction children have with other human beings; with life, nurturing, education, values, manners, with love and affection. Therefore, I must ask, what is it with some young mothers these days?

A few days ago, I was in a mall shopping for sundries, but my experience was sullied by a screaming child. Not just the occasional outburst, this was incessant shrieking. The phrase, "plaintive wail" comes to mind. I made my way over the Men's Department to take a peek at this erstwhile junior banshee.

It was a little girl, strapped in the trademark red shopping cart; her older brother frantically kicking at a display of folded T-shirts as the norm, blithely ignoring her obnoxious charges, rifled through a sale bin.

She was either unable to hear the decibels with which her daughter was screaming or willfully chose to ignore the situation. I looked for any obvious sign of discomfort. None that I could see.

Did the child have a disability that was discernible? Again, nothing that I could see. All indications pointed to this being nothing more than a very unruly little girl, undisciplined, unattended and futile demanding attention.

The young mother did nothing to quiet or comfort the child, at least she did nothing during the excruciating 12.7 minutes that I had to spend in the department next to them. The child was loud, annoying and extremely bothersome. I shook my head; another shopper covered his ears. Yet, the young mom seemed oblivious to everything.

Sadly, I have seen this scene repeated many times. So, my question is how could this happen? Why does this happen?

When I was a child, I would have NEVER acted this way and certainly had I, the situation would have been handled efficiently. The fear of my mother's pinch or slap was, as had, if not worse than the actual physical contact. Then there was the fear of the dreaded "you just wait till we get home" spanking.

I cannot say every young mother is guilty of this, but obviously, when a young child is screaming, a basic knowledge of biology and gynecology will tell you that a younger mother is usually part of the equation.

Additionally, I do not know what was coursing through this particular young mother's mind; why she allowed her child to scream without blinking an eye, but from the perspective of my incredibly victimized ears, I would think her completely selfish. She showed an utter lack of consideration for the shoppers around her. I would go one step further and say she showed utter disdain for everyone in the store.

I do not understand this at all. What happened to respect? Is good taste now passe? Has breeding just become another word for procreation? Now, permit me to reiterate that I understand the plight of all you young mothers. You are tired, you are frustrated and probably completely unappreciated for all your efforts, but does that negate appropriate displays of manners, tact and diplomacy?

The reality is this - young children, especially unruly ones, have no business being in public. Parents have no right to foist ill-mannered children on the populace. Sorry, but this is true.

Young, unruly children should not be in nicer restaurants. Young children have no business in theaters, especially during movies not geared for kids. And DO NOT tell me that sometimes children misbehave because they feel bad. I understand this, but if that is in fact the case, why then are they out in public and not at home?

And furthermore, if you have no other recourse than to take your child with you, then you should have the sense to train ...yes, I said TRAIN your children to behave correctly and respectfully in public. If they do not and their behavior is disruptive in any way and you as a parent refuse to handle the situation either by calming or removing them from the premises, then you should be held responsible and fined exorbitantly for disturbing the peace.

संबंधित पुष्प :

01. Child's Global Fleshiness : (मुलांमधिल लट्ठपणाचा जागतिक रोग) - १
02. Child's Global Fleshiness : Child's Global Fleshiness : (मुलांमधिल लट्ठपणाचा जागतिक रोग) - २
03. Child's Global Fleshiness : How to measure weight? (वजन कसे मोजावे?) - ३
04. Kid's Breakfast (मुलांचा खाऊ )
05. Be aware about kid's fever (मुलांचे तापेपासून स्वंरक्षण)
06. ICU : Ice Cream Unit
07. A Solution on Bed Weting : Homeopathy (मुलांच्या बेड वेटिंगवर उपाय)
08. How to measure weight? (वजन कसे मोजावे?) - ३
09. Sweet Medicine on Maleriya (मलेरियावर गोड औषध)
10. Kids and Rules of Massage (मुले आणि मालिश करण्याचे नियम)
11. What is the importance of beauty sleep in your kid's life? (मुलांसाठी झोप किती महत्वाची?)
12. Anti Oxidents : Keep Disease Away (एंटी आँक्सिडेंटस : दूर ठेवा आजारपणाच्या तक्रारी)
13. Milk : The Best Food Forever! (दूध एक उत्तम आहार)
14. If someone afflicted at home (घरात जर कुणी आजारी असेल तर )
15. Kids, please do not habitual with Fast Food..!!!
16. How toxins enter our body?
17. Useful Websites for Kids (मुलांसाठी उपयुक्त वेबसाइट्स)
18. While Conversation With Kids (मुलांशी संवाद साधताना)
19. Cryos : The First International Sperm Bank In India (भारतातील पहिली आंतरराष्ट्रीय वीर्य बैंक)
20. Stressful Period Before Delivery May Affect the Growth of Your Baby (प्रसूतिपूर्व काळात ताणाचा संतातिवर परिणाम शक्य)
21. Mom and Dad,Please change your attitude (मम्मी आणि पप्पा आता तरी बदला ना!)
22. Calcium Bank for your child
23. Kindergarchy : The Rules by Children
24. How safe are baby products?
25. How important the stickers on baby products?
26. What to do before your baby comes?
27. Baby Products - Money Saving Tips
28. Adults too can suffer from Whooping Cough
29. What's wrong with baby? Yeah! They are crying!
30. Calcium may significantly improve kid's bone health

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