Weary in Wal-mart

Disclaimer: I LOVE Wal-mart, this is not a reflection of their stores, just an isolated customer!

OK, so yesterday I had to go get some green onions and vinegar for a new recipe I was making at dinner and I stopped at the super Wal-mart by our house. #1 because it is conveniently located 4 minutes from my house on the way to Zoe's preschool and #2 because I just love those greeters, sometimes they're the only nice people you see all day. Anyway... the kids are standing in one of those carts for two kids and they are actually being really good in the checkout. I promised them M&M's so they were being super good, I told you we're addicted! A lady with a stroller comes up behind us and I smile as I wait for the customer ahead of me to finish. Parker, my 2 year old, says, "babee!" and jumps off the cart. He runs over to stroller lady and touches her stroller, not the baby, just the stroller. I am like a lightening bolt, charging to get him away from what I assume is a newborn infant in the baby carrier seat. Stroller lady says in a very loud, stern voice, "don't touch the baby!" I said, "oh, I'm sorry, he just loves babies" which he does by the way. I am slightly embarrassed but I am assuming she is a sane person and knows toddlers are crazed little maniacs. Well Parker just wants to check out this baby so bad and he is lurching to reach her, I hold him up and say, "look at the pretty baby." Stroller lady says, "what is that on his hand?! Is that chicken pox?" Just a note, Parker had a red stamp on his hand from his gymnastics class that was partially washed away. I said, "nope, just a stamp." Then I took Parker back to our cart, thinking hurry up lady in front of me with the gift card! I say to Parker, loud enough for psycho stroller lady to hear, "don't touch the baby unless mommy says it's ok." My sweet boy says, "kay" and then starts talking about the yellow Wal-mart smiley face which he thinks is a balloon, we have this same conversation every trip. THEN, stroller lady says, "you should really teach him not to touch little babies." Oh my goodness, I swear if this cashier doesn't hurry, I am going to go postal! I just smiled (again) and said, "yeah, you know 2 year olds are just so independent and this darn cart doesn't have any seat belts" which it didn't. I could not wait to get out of there and away from stroller lady. This was the first time I really felt like someone else didn't think I was a good mommy. I am usually very pleased with my kids, I drag them to the grocery every week and they are generally pretty good. I always take lots of treats and pennies for the pony rides. So then I remembered a skit Bill Cosby did in his "Bill Cosby Himself" show from the 80's. He talked about parents who had one child versus those who had more than one and the parents who only had one child basically didn't know squat about kids and parenting. I highly recommend watching this DVD, it is hilarious, even more so now that I am a parent. So to the mean stroller lady from Wal-mart yesterday, pbbbbbssst (razzberry sound) to you! You don't know anything, just wait until you have two kids and you have to get green onions and vinegar to make dinner and get your child to preschool on time and make sure your toddler gets home in time to have a nap! Then maybe you won't be so quick to dish out parenting advice to others! Hmmmf, I think I've said enough. My organizing tip for today: find a shopping cart with seat belts or avoid annoying stroller ladies.