We ran to the mall this afternoon, after attending a birthday party. I left Miss H with J at Target while I ran to grab something quickly from a different store, lugging baby B with me. As I passed American Eagle, I sadly overheard a mother tell her daughter, who looked to be about 10 or 11, "I am not paying thirty dollars for a pair of shorts that you're just going to eat yourself out of in a few weeks anyway."
Seriously, my heart broke for that little girl. There were SO many things wrong with that situation.
1.) That's her mother! The one person in the world who is supposed to love, support, be kind and gentle, and give words of praise. Not a person who should degrade or bully her!!
2.) She's a little girl! Why would anyone say such a hateful thing to a little girl, let alone to their own child!?
3.) She's a little girl! She doesn't buy the groceries or get to make food choices, her momma does! How sad that her mother would put that on her child. She's under 18. She doesn't decide what goes in the cart.
There are a lot more thing that were wrong with that scenario, but I digress. I walked into Target, holding baby B closer with tears threatening to make me look weak, and J was immediately all over that, asking what had happened. I immediately told him what I had overheard, which, of course, pissed him off.
"Unfortunately we live in a world where it's acceptable to make fun of and degrade our children. And many people do it in a joking manner, so they think it's okay. But I guarantee you it's not okay to the kid."
"I know," I agreed. Because I do.
I really wish I'd had the courage to intervene and say something instead of just walking on by like a shocked, appalled, crybaby.
I'll say an extra little prayer for that sweet girl tonight. I hope she realizes that she's beautiful, whether her shorts are a size 4 or 14. And I'll pray for her momma, too. That she realizes the same thing of her perfect daughter.
Because our children deserve better from us.
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