Tearful Mom Calls On Others To 'Be Kind' To Parents After A Rude Encounter With A Woman Who Her Toddler Spilled Juice On
Parents are just trying their best to keep their children under control in public. Kindness goes a long way.
Taking children out in public is not for the faint of heart, especially if they are fast and noisy toddlers. It is difficult to keep a watchful eye over them at all times when it seems as if they are constantly running off getting themselves into trouble.
One mother is begging strangers who encounter families with young kids out in public to “please be kind,” since they are often trying their best to keep their children under control. She, after all, knows all too well the struggles of taking toddlers out in public while dealing with uncalled judgments and rude comments from others.
The mother was left humiliated and in tears after her toddler accidentally spilled some of her drink on a stranger’s jacket.
Tori, a mother of two on TikTok, posted a video that has been viewed over 100,000 times detailing the unpleasant experience she had while taking her children out to a restaurant for lunch.
The mother claims that the task is already difficult enough, and she usually refrains from taking her children out to restaurants due to their behavior. “It’s not really enjoyable because they’re just crazy,” she explains.
Luckily while on vacation in Florida, Tori managed to get her family into a restaurant that offered outdoor seating so that the kids would be able to run around and explore outside while they were waiting for their meals. The mother says that they put their orders in right away so that they would be able to eat and leave before her children became too antsy.
“We got them both a special drink…a little virgin strawberry daiquiri in a cup that had a lid,” she says. “It was perfect and they loved it.”
However, while packing up their leftovers and getting ready to leave, Tori’s daughter had left her drink cup at the edge of the table and it fell over. “The lid of course popped off and it went everywhere,” Tori shares. The drink got all over her hair and face, all over her daughter’s dress, and some of it even landed on the white jacket of a woman sitting behind the family. “It was just a little pea-sized spot on her jacket,” she clarifies.
The stranger was rude to the mother after the incident.
Although it was an honest mistake, Tori says that the woman “made a huge deal out of it” and embarrassed the poor mother. “As soon as it hit the ground, I immediately turned around and I was like, ‘did it get you? Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she says. She did her best to alleviate the situation. “I just started apologizing, I got her napkins and everything,” she claims. “I wasn’t even worried about myself or Piper [Tori’s daughter] I was worried about this lady behind me and she was so rude.”
The tearful mother says that the situation was made even worse by the restaurant staff. “All of the waiters were like running to this lady and getting her soda, water and getting her more napkins,” she says. “They never brought us anything.”
While Tori acknowledges that it was her daughter’s fault the drink spilled, the entire ordeal was “awkward” and “embarrassing” and she wishes she was offered more help and that the woman was not so rude to her.
The tearful mom begs strangers to 'be kind' to parents overwhelmed with their children in public.
“Parents got a lot going on, and they’re doing their best. So just be kind,” she says. Tori is not the only parent who has experienced a situation like this.
Others flocked to the comment section to share their own stories dealing with judgmental and rude strangers. “My oldest is 5 and autistic so we get some looks, but I refuse to keep him cooped up in the house,” one user revealed. “People tend to forget that children are a part of the general public. I’m sorry mama. I’ve been in similar situations!” another user wrote.
Others pointed out that children had a right to be out in public spaces and that making mistakes including spilling drinks will only help them grow and learn how to behave in public. “They learn best by being out and making mistakes. We can’t shelter them and then expect them to know how to act when they are older,” one user commented. “How do grown adults act like that? It’s like everyone forgets they too were once a small child,” another user pointed out.
Parenting can be a challenging and demanding role, especially when caring for young children who may be prone to tantrums or unpredictable behavior. Offering kindness and support to parents in public contributes to creating a more inclusive and compassionate community that will make them and their children feel more comfortable.
Kindness is free, and offering it to parents who are simply doing their best is the least we can offer.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.