So after I took one of her selections from her hands and put in back on the rack, she smacked me. I took her hands and held them, leaned in close, and whispered in my fiercest-I'm-not-messing-around whisper, "DO NOT hit me!" She looked at me and promptly yelled at the top of her lungs "DO NOT HIT ME MOMMY!" As soon as the words left her mouth all eyes were on me to see if I had in fact hit my child in the Target toddler's clothing department. I don't think my face turned red, I'm pretty sure all the blood drained out of my head because I felt light headed and I started stammering something like "I didn't hit her, I never hit her, she hit me..." I pretty much wanted to disappear.
To be sure, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. It was also one of those instances where I had no idea what to do to discipline Spencer. I still don't know what I should have done. What I did do was high tail it out of the store and I put her in time out when we got home. I told her why she was in time out, but it was like 30 minutes after the fact, which I'm pretty sure is too long to make a connection between the "crime" and the "punishment." Most of the time I try to learn a lesson from these types of experiences, but I'm not sure what I learned from this latest debacle. For now, I'm just glad that from my house there are like five Targets in a 15 mile radius.
10 comments:
Oh nooooooooo. I don't know if there was anything else you could have done!
Usually, when I hear a little one screaming in Target I take what they say with a grain of salt. So hopefully no one ACTUALLY thought you hit her - and was smart enough to know that (as my grandma would say) "kids say the darndest things).
oh lord. that's awful on all accounts. sorry katie!
Ugh! How embarassing! And I'm so jealous that you live close to so many Targets.
The only solution for improving public behavior is to practice and train at home.
As far as what you could have done in that situation? I would have just said, "Yes, I said, 'Don't hit me,'" and do your best to ignore the judgmental looks from others.
Oh no! What a situation! Right when I read this it reminded me of a movie called I'll do anything. There is a scene where a dad is on the plane with his 6 yr old daughter and she wants to put on this dress that is under the plane and she starts throwing a fit and then she slaps herself!! And everyone turns around and yells DONT HIT HER! and he tries to say she hit herself but then the girl runs to the bathroom! ANYWAY I am sorry you had to go through that! hopefully lil miss has learned her lesson =D
Ouch! That's embarrassing. I am glad you didn't cry though. That is tough, I think you dealt with it right. I don't necessarily think that timeout works that far after, but personally I do it with the boys if I have to because it makes me feel better. I know that sounds bad but every once and a while you need a break.
oh my dear god. How effing embarrassing! Though I cannot say that I would have paid any attention to her screaming. I always feel so bad for parents.... because I have been there, done that.
Kids will be kids.
Oh, wow I feel uncomfortable just reading it, I can only imagine how horrible you might have felt!
I am always afraid something like that will happen to me and I can bet I would not have been able to hold back the tears.
I if something similar does ever happen to me as soon as my girl gets old enough I am going to explain that we do not joke about things like that because they are very serious allegations with sometimes serious consequences!
Glad you got through it okay and that no one took her serious, or at least seriously enough to do anything. That would have made an already mortifying situation that much worse.
Oh my gosh, KT. First of all, I LOLd at the "if she had her way, she'd be dressed like those New Jersey Housewives 24/7." Too funny!! But that is definitely embarrassing! No idea how to handle it other than trying to put her in a timeout in a cart, but she would probably just continue to throw a tantrum, so I don't know what I would do! You're a great mom, don't forget that!
I wish I have words of wisdom for you but I don't. I've been there as my son has a tendency to hit himself which, I've been told, is pretty common for autistic kids. Of course, I can't go around telling people why he does that so they probably just think he learned that from me.
Hang in there. You can only do the best you can in whatever situation you're in.
Katie.... Oh... I have sooooooo been there.... can't tell you how many times my four year old has shocked the you know what out of me... and i don't even know how to respond... i'm sure there have been more times than i can count myself just standing there like an out of body experience mumbling to myself... what do i do what do i do what do i say... how the h#ll do I handle this one...once she screamed i was hurting her in the mall... that was a tad embarassing...(which I soooo was not) good for you for just getting out of there....
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