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kittyromeo Mar 17, 2008 09:58 PM

Had one of those awkward moments today that just serve to tell me it's not the rest of the world that's a little off, it's me.

I was at a doctor's office, in the waiting area, when another family group came in with little boy just two months older than Punky. The woman with him greeted us, then sized us up and immediately launched into that puesdo-friendly competitive thing women do, over the kids - does Punky run yet? Have a bink? Sleep well, speak well, finished her college application essay yet? Tweny questions, rapid fire. Meanwhile, she's pulling out all this food from the diaper bag.

The boy ran for the sound of the candy wrapper, Punky didn't react. She offered up gummy dinsoaurs to both kids, but I told her Punky wouldn't recognize it as food. She thrust them out anyway and Punky backed up, shaking her head, looking at these bright colored things like they were rattlesnakes. I couldn't discourse on the difference in various chicken nuggets with her, Punky has only had them twice in her life. The boy can open 20 oz. bottles of soda, we don't buy them. He drinks better from a soda can than a cup or straw, Punky has never had soda in a can. I had no electronic toys on me. I pulled out an animal picture book for the kids instead. Somewhere about the time I said I didn't smoke, the woman went from seemingly uneasy to giving me a wall-eyed look. She packed up the kid and moved away from me.

She was across the room, settling in again, talking to an older couple and all I could think was "Am I really that strange?"

Replies (4)

ThreeCalicos Mar 17, 2008 10:40 PM

Yay for Punky's mom!!! Don't cave to those mothers looking for the easy way out. I'm betting Punky doesn't spend eight hours a day in front of videos, either! You know the old Robert Frost poem, "The Road Less Travelled"? Well, you've chosen it and Punky will benefit!
And, purrsonally, I'd never want my kid eating something a stranger offered. That would be a number one bigtime rule!

p.s. Guess if you're strange, at least you're not totally alone.

ttpurr4cat Mar 18, 2008 05:29 AM

It is called good parenting and sadly does not seem to be the norm anymore. Kids do whatever they want, eat whatever they want and go wherever they want and then the parents don't understand why they can't control them when they are 16 and getting in trouble. Trust me, I see this all the time at work.
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Tessa Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,(We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts//Fly free Penny 12/12/07
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

cyclopsgrl Mar 18, 2008 05:55 PM

It isn't you. My Mom has similar thoughts, as you recall, she has adopted and is raising my 5 year old niece (my Brother and the birth mother are a Jerry Springer Special).

Kylagh loves fruits, veggies, etc. Mom doesn't feed her "junk". She doesn't crave it or even ask for it. She'll recite the grocery list to Mom at the store, "We need cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, eggs, apples, tomatos, broccoli, carrots, and stuff to make salads..." They eat salads a lot. Kylagh loves them. Applebee's is K's favorite restaurant and she orders the spinach salad and soup special...

As for toys, she plays outside all the time! She lives on a block with 5 other 5-6 year olds and they are a little gang moving from house to house each night for snacks...

I think you and my Mother are doing it right!
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

3coolcats Mar 20, 2008 04:21 PM

No, you're just a little strange. Just kidding. I'm kind of somewhere in the middle between that mom and you in the way we do things with our girls. But it works for us. Just as it works for you on the choices you are making. The other mom shouldn't have offered the fruit snacks after you said no thanks though. I wouldn't have. Of course I'd probably have gold fish crackers instead. Miss Laura doesn't like fruit snacks so much....unless big sister is eating them. But she loves gold fish and that's a staple diaper bag item around here.

Kathryn

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