Dear side-glancing mom;

Yea, you. The one who walks past me and my screaming toddler sprawled out in the middle of a parking lot. We are the ones who you walked past while my toddler threw something at me and started screaming. The same ones who at the park cannot play by herself or play around another child on the swings, or slide.. orrr, anywhere else that she believes to be hers.

We are the same ones that you look at with disgust in your eyes and whisper “what a shame”. Telling us we should learn to discipline our child and they would respect us more. The same ones that you roll your eyes at and stomp away while my toddler sits in your way while throwing the 100th fit of the day.

Hey side-glancing mom, have you ever paid attention to the moms face that you are just so annoyed by her child? Have you ever noticed the hurt in her eyes when she realizes that no one wants to be around her because of her child’s behavior? Have you ever noticed the sadness in her face when she reaches down and tries to console the already uncontrollable screams of her toddler? Have you ever noticed how tired this mom might is, how the bags under her eyes just intensify the sadness in her soul?

Dear side-glancing mom; were you there in that moment when this mom realized something was wrong? Were you there for the disappointment of every missed milestone, or failed attempt at speech? Were you there with her child’s therapists when she was told she may never catch up until she is well into her life? Were you there when she felt the over-whelming grief that this, somehow-someway, is her fault?
Dear side-glancing moms; before looking at the mother and blaming the mother for being “young” and “not ready” to be a mother. Take into consideration what all this mother has to deal with, not only in public, but in her own home as well. Her screaming, kicking, temper-tantrum throwing toddler does not ruin your day. Her toddler does not test the limits of your patience a thousand times a second, nor does her toddler have any control over how they act.

Dear side-glancing moms; have you ever realized how incredibly judgemental you are towards these toddlers and their mothers? You never know what kind of invisible monsters they are fighting with inside. Please stop giving us your side-ways glances and your stomping strides as you walk away. We have enough toddler tantrums to deal with, we don’t need adult ones as well.

From a mom just trying to fight off her toddlers invisible monster.<3