Toddler Jerks

This is a really horrible thing to say, but I have come to the conclusion that many toddlers are jerks. I like my friends' sweet kids, and a lot of times I meet very kind children in the street or on the playground, but I meet at least one assholey toddler every single day.

Every time I bring Noah to the playground, there's some psychopath toddler who is mean to him. They'll entice him to come over and play, but then push him away. Or they'll follow him around and try to take whatever it was Noah was trying to play with. Or scream bloody murder when Noah pats them on the back in the friendly way that he does to everyone he meets. (He's just like his Lolo!) Today I met one that angrily insisted I pay more attention to him than to my own son.

Who are these children and where the heck are their parents?! If Noah was behaving this way, he would get the crazy Filipino mom stink eye from me, along with a stern talking to about respecting other people, no matter what their age. Basically, I would know if my kid was trying to step on your kid's hand on the stairs.

I tend not to leave Noah alone on the play structures because he's still little and doesn't understand the consequences of falling from a great height yet. The moms of these other children can often be found sitting there daydreaming or with their eyes on their phones. I'm not saying I don't use my phone when I'm around Noah, but in a playground where playing well with others and safety are main concerns, I am pretty present.

Another horribly surprising thing I learned about deciding to have children, is that I would be reliving my childhood along with them. When someone is deliberately mean to my Small Human, I feel a fire start to burn inside me. It's a fire that is ignited by the memories of every childhood bully I've ever encountered, which makes me feel like I'm a lunatic because I'm supposed to be the levelheaded grownup now. I want to protect Noah from all the bad in the world, but I have to remember to let him live his life. However, you can bet I'm going to equip him with all the tools necessary to deal with bullies.

I'm just glad he's still young enough that I can whisk him away from the "bullies" (regular ol' toddlers) before he gets hurt. He's such a sweet little boy, this is going to be tough for Momie, oy vey!

The hills of Seattle are great for tiring out toddlers! (and their mommies)