Obviously Not Nora's Mom

Another day at gymnastics. Today it was Abby's class, so once again, there I sat perched on the top row of the bleachers with my book in my hands. And lucky us, it was another day with a new mom & new kid.

It didn't take Lauren long to leave my side and make her way to the corner kids' play area. She was perfectly content to play peacefully on her own, and for a while she did. And then he showed up. I have no idea what his name is, and that is likely because his mother never uttered it. Back and forth he went with two large plastic train tracks in his hands, hitting a plastic Little People Toy, clickity clank, annoying every parent but his own and setting a bad example for the other young eyes. I waited patiently for his mother, at the very least, to ask him to stop; she never did. The rest of the parents exchanged glances of annoyance and just when I couldn't take it any more, Lauren belted out plea for help. A fellow parent eagerly moved his legs as I swiftly moved in to ask the boy to play with the toys as they were intended. It was only then that his mother, just a couple of feet away, turned around and asked her son if there was a problem. He cowered slowly to her side, and for the remainder of the hour he was on guard. Maybe it is the teacher in me that has no problem stepping in where there is a problem. And while I handled it calmly and with authority, I find it a bit sad that he was more intimidated by a stranger in a t-shirt than his own mother in BDUs (The Air Force's Battle Dress Uniform).

The ironic part of it all.... the book I was reading is aptly titled, No, Why Kids--of All Ages--Need to Hear It and Why Parents Can Say It. I'm guessing this piece of literature is not on her reading list.