Boo and I had the weirdest playground encounter last week — the mom who had to share everything. I mean, I’ll make sure Boobaby shares, but this mom was forcing Boo to take things she didn’t particularly want and putting the fear of God into her own kid in the process.
I wrote it all up at GNM Parents this week:
Two moms were playing with their preschoolers in the sandbox. … Boo picked up a plastic Cinderella cup they’d abandoned and showed it to one of the 4-year olds.
"Frida Kahlo!" she announced, pointing to the picture. (To my daughter, any woman in a dress is Frida Kahlo. I have no idea why.)
The older girl accepted the proffered cup and set it aside, and Boo looked satisfied — clearly, she’d wanted the girl to take the cup. Her mom, though, who was a stranger to me, picked up the cup and handed it back to Boo while mumbling to her daughter, "Lily, you have to share!"
That’s just where it started — it got a lot worse. The lesson, I think, was not to police every single interaction your kid has with another kid — and to avoid weird-ass parents, too.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m just kind of horrified that your poor kid knows who hairy scary Frieda Kahlo is.
Let’s see, a self-absorbed manic depressive who eventually killed herself. Yes, that sounds like an artist you should expose the kids to.
For chrissakes, let the kids watch Seamae Street instead of jamming “Culture” down her throat.
Well, to be fair to us, we’re not giving Fern all the details. She chose Frida, not the other way around — and she’s a fan of Sesame Street, too.