Daddy just paid the toll, to which Zachary said, “I need more money.” Don’t we all.

736-798 E Churchville Rd, Bel Air, MD 21014
http://m.google.com/u/m/zWK7ls

Lyn Stacie Getz Creative Playground, 410-638-3988, 301 West Ring Factory Road Bel Air, MD 21014

Kale Chips

A bunch of dinosaur kale
Olive oil
Salt to taste

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Hold the thick end of the kale stem with one hand and run the pinched fingers of your other hand along the stem, stripping the leaf away.
Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces or leave them in strips for larger chips.
*Brush both sides of the each piece with a little bit of olive oil, or toss them with oil directly on your baking tray with clean hands.
sprinkle the kale with salt and toss again. Wash your oily hands when you are finished.
*Place the pieces of kale in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
*Bake for 2 to 14 minutes or until crisp.*

Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Makes 2 cups.

Here he is: Mr. Radio Flyer! Zachary and Daddy put his new birthday tricycle together. We brought it to Rehoboth Beach’s boardwalk and had a joy ride! Zachary LOVES his new bike! Such a pro!

The Monkey Speaks: it is so funny to hear this high pitched sqeaky voice coming from the back seat. I can’t describe it, but Zachary talks with his monkey like, “go to sleep monkey…drink the milk, monkey…change the diaper, monkeeeyyyy!”

Kiddush: on the way out of Daycare, Zachary was explaining all the things to expect at Shabbat dinner. Like, “Kiddish! Hold it. Hold the juice cup! Amen! Challah…break the bread!” So smart.

Zachary just out of the blue made up a new song: “cereal with a downstairs sticker,” sung like a bluegrass tune. So silly!

“Hold the Wheel!” Zachary is a safety advocate. He yells at Daddy from the backseat to put both hands on the stearing wheel.

“A-R-Y!” That spells Zachary! It also spells Mama, Daddy and Zaydie.

Maybe you have run into something like this…or else, you might at some point: People that do not like kids, no matter what. Look, I don’t expect all people to like kids, or love Zachary (how could you not love him though?). I don’t expect people to always agree with me, but I do expect people to be nice.

Sometimes you meet a stranger and they are just plain mean & grumpy. Today was one of those times. At the expense of sounding like a proud and biased mom, I’ll be candid:

My son is a pretty well behaved 2 year old. Believe it or not. Terrible twos? No. More like terrific twos. Sure, he’s not perfect. He has temper tantrums. But isn’t that normal? Zach has his toddler moments, true (cue whining and crying), but he isn’t out of control. When it comes down to it, he knows right from wrong. He says please and thank you. He says sorry and excuse me. He cleans up after himself without us nagging. He washes his hands (demands to sometimes). He asks for baths. He goes to sleep without a fit most nights (He’s a great sleeper: seriously, how in the world do you think I have the time to blog, or freelance, or…etc!). He even helps me load and unload the washer, and he sets his spot at the table. He’s good with routine.

Wow – yes, I am bragging. I know. Look: we are LUCKY! Or maybe we are just patient parents. Though he is exerting his independence more and more, including avoiding the dreaded restaurant highchair whenever possible, today he sat in his without a fight. For the most part, he usually wins just about every stranger over. He’s pretty amazing with the ladies.

Not today. We were in Chevy Chase, MD having lunch with my Dad, Rossie and Mara. Despite the fact that Zachary sat in his seat, stayed seated, didn’t fuss, drank his water (spilled a little), listened to Mara read a story, and ate all of his lunch (including some of mine), somehow he was perceived by a woman at the next table over as “out of control.”

It all started with giggling. More like chuckling. It wasn’t obnoxious. Mara (9 years old) and I were giggling with him. I noticed I was getting a concerned look from the woman at the next table. I was getting the “children should be seen and not heard,” vibe. He was using his indoor voice. It was chuckling.  A few minutes later, he accidentally dropped a spoon. That’s when I got the evil eye. As if no one is allowed to drop a spoon – not adults, and especially not a 2 year old. Then, 5 minutes later, when a waiter behind us dropped a knife (loudy – on the hardwood floor), I got the evil eye again, as if I was supposed to have control over that too. What was that all about?

Finally the woman spoke up when Zachary began to tap his fork on the table. I promptly took it away. Just as the woman saw me disciplining,  she tersely said, “Yes! Thank you!” Um… you’re welcome?

When Zachary began to pat (pat not bang) his hands on the table (to which I began to tell him to stop), the woman gave me a stern look and said, “I am sorry, but, you need to control your child!”

I was so upset. “Excuse me?!” Another younger lady at the same table (her daughter?) proceeded to defend her as well, “we are trying to have a conversation and I can’t hear.” The young college-aged man (the woman’s grandson? celebrating his 21st bday?) at the table said nothing. Ron got upset. He told her “You are being rude. Did it ever occur to you that you are disturbing us?” She continued on with her rant that we were rude and that we needed to control our child. Ron continued, “Oh, shut your mouth!” as if he were talking to an obnoxious brat that needed parents to control her. It was almost comical, but he was serious. Meanwhile, Zachary wasn’t saying a word. He wasn’t patting or banging. There was no food throwing. There was no screaming. There was no kicking, no whining, no “Mommy, Zachy want to get down!” (can you tell these behaviors are what I do expect?) Zachary was actually behaving very well. I guess that wasn’t good enough for these people. Ron suggested they move. Of course, she adamantly disagreed, as did her daughter.

While I appreciate my husband sticking up for me, I am not sure his reaction helped. Actually, I think it made things worse. I was so upset by the back and forth (and the fact that we had a 2 and 9 year old at the table) I avoided exploding and simply picked Zachary up and left all the while saying, “how rude!” as I walked out the door. I didn’t want to be near her anymore. I didn’t want Zachary to be near her either. I saw looks on the other patron’s faces that said “what was THAT all about?” Yeah – exactly, I have no idea. If you all can figure this one out, please let me know. Maybe this woman is just one of those rare individuals you come across that doesn’t like kids and makes it known. Sure, I have gotten a wary eye from people on airplanes, but once they sit with Zachary for five minutes, they realize he’s better than ok.

Apparently, as I was leaving, the young man at their table said “G-d bless you” to all of us. My Dad and Rossie I think were stunned by everyone’s behavior. It was pretty bad. I was so furious. I wanted to go back into the restaurant, without the kids, and demand an apology. But I just knew it would be futile. She would most likely demand an apology from me, and especially from Ron. Seriously, as my wise Dad says, life is short to waste arguing with people like that. Next time I vow to do the following:

1) Get up and leave – immediately. No words said.

2) Ignore them. I refuse to acknowledge or waste my time with people that are rude. It’s not just what she said, it is how she said it.

3) Take the higher road: yes, that’s right, I am not going to apologize, but maybe I will ask Zachary to show that he is courteous and say “I’m sorry”. But what the heck am I trying to prove? We already know this. Why do I need to share that with a stranger who is rude. So help me, if she lashed out at him, I would resort to #1 and perhaps just leave like I did today.

Perhaps people like that can’t be changed or won over. But next time, if there is a next time, I won’t let someone who can’t control their brash temper ruin my day. I know there are much bigger things in life to worry about than to waste my time ranting and fuming about this. But for those of you reading this, feel free to comment advice, and I thank you for your respect and for listening to my lil Sunday rant. Of course, to be fair, this is my side of the story. Still – this was a rare moment in my life – thank goodness. I chalk this up to another learning experience. Now I have new people skills.

Now go hug your little ones, even if they are not human, especially if they have been behaving badly. I know what lucky mommy I am, and a good mommy at that.

Here are some links I felt had helpful adivce:

Crucial confrontations

How to Deal with Rude Strangers

Responding to Rudeness