Acceptable Behavior?

This has been bothering me for several days.

I was in the grocery store the other day ... it's a store that has a high clientele of non-english speaking individuals (and heavy cash usage) ... alot of different cultures and backgrounds in that store.

Anyways.

I was standing at the fish counter to get some of the $4.99 per lb shrimp (does not go on sale to that price very often anymore) and there was an older lady, maybe late 60's next to me, getting a big slab of salmon.

To my other side is a young mom, with a little boy about 3 years old. He's messing with stuff at his level, as kids will do ... and she just reaches out and cuffs the kid on the side of the head, right over his ear.

The little boy screams bloody murder, hand to ear and starts kicking at the wall in anger. Umm. Ok.

Tears flowing and just howling. I'm trying to ignore the kid, not sure what I've just witnessed.

They go to walk behind us, and the older lady is making shhh shhhh shhh sounds ... in a soothing way, not at all a SHUSH type ...

The young mom? Turns around looks right at us and says "Shut the f!*#%% up you old b*!#%&".

HUH???

Wow. I couldn't help myself. I shouted (yes, shouted) back "You need to learn some manners yourself before you can teach your child manners!"

Oh. Boy.

I was just appalled that she would say such a thing to an older woman who was obviously acting by instinct to soothe and console a crying child (I don't believe she saw what happened to the child) ...

And I just reacted. And really and truly thought this young mother would be waiting outside in the parking lot to take me down. ACK!

Alas, I checked out, everything was fine in the parking lot.

But still.

I can't believe that this was such behavior and that no one else thought much of it that I could see. I mean seriously.

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? I'm curious.

Comments

  1. UnknownThursday, October 13, 2011

    First, loose the nationality and fiscal identification of the clientele. There is no difference when it comes to rudeness and child abuse.

    Second, I am 65, a New England transplant living in central Florida. I would have confronted the stupid woman first, then tried to comfort the boy and then go to the parking lot to wait to get her tag number. The Dept. of Children's Services has a lot more impact than I do. I can handle the verbal abuse to me but not the physical abuse to the child. AND, I don't care what kind of f------- day she had! I may be 65 on the outside but I am any age on the inside. Good going!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownThursday, October 13, 2011

    Thank you for your response. The only reason I referenced the nationality and such is because different cultures have different manners and actions (I'm at a loss how to put it, sorry) ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. DonnaMonday, October 17, 2011

    What a mess!
    Our entire culture is messed up!

    My dh says that if us learned and (slightly ;-) older folks don't speak up, how will this generation know? They're obviously not being taught.

    I've seen terrible things in public.

    But doesn't it say how low we've gotten when you go to Walmart or the doctor's office and people (not children) are in their PJs?!?!?! And I'm talking mid-day!

    The Bible says a word to the wise is sufficient. You gave her a word- I pray God gives her wisdom to act on the reproof that you gave her, deservingly so.

    ReplyDelete

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