A common misunderstanding

Here's something fun about becoming a parent: people assume that you like children. I guess it's logical to assume since I like MY kid, but I still really don't like other people's children, especially other people's poorly behaved children. However, people see you with a kid and therefore assume that you must love all children and should be trusted to be responsible for them.

Today was a prime example of this phenomenon. My car needed service and it just wasn't going to work out for me to drop off the car the night before and get it later so I had to wait at the dealership...with a toddler...for 1.5 hours. It actually wasn't too bad because the dealership has this glassed in playroom full of toys next to the main lobby waiting area. Faith loves playing with new toys, so I just had to sit on a bean bag (no real chairs) and read my Kindle.

This carpet suggests that this is some kind of party room

Everything was peaceful until some mom decided that she didn't need to sit in the playroom with her two kids, probably because I was already in there. I guess I needed a shirt saying "Hey lazy bitch, I don't work here so watch your own damn kids"? I get that sitting on a bean bag sucks, but if I'm doing it while pregnant then I'm pretty sure anyone can handle it. Her kids were absolute monsters (what kind of kids just start throwing large plastic toys at the glass within the first 5 seconds?). Faith was pretty scared of them and just came and stood by me and gave me looks like "WTF is wrong with these small people?"

I'm pretty sure this picture was taken in southern MD

Eventually, my stink eye through the glass did the trick and their mother came and got them out of the playroom, but then another mom dropped off her kid there and went to go sit elsewhere. Seriously people, don't have kids if you don't want to freaking parent them. This kid was better than the first two, but he was a chatty kid, you know the kind that wants to talk AT you endlessly. Maybe I'm not up to date on current parenting trends, but I'd never let Faith do that to some poor stranger in a waiting room. I wouldn't even put my dog in a fenced area with a stranger and not pay attention because that's just rude. I'd like to think that my standards for my dog aren't too far reaching for everyone to apply to their offspring.

You know I had to bring ducks into this somehow

I think this will be more of an issue when Faith gets older and has friends come over to play because it's so awkward trying to deal with someone else's kid, especially if the kid has less than ideal parents.

Other than feeling superior about my parenting, I also ran today. I had a better run than yesterday and the weather helped a lot. We have a fantastic cool breeze today with temps in the 70s which feels amazing compared to last week. We'll be at 100 again by Friday, so it will be miserable outside again pretty soon. Yesterday I felt like giving up on running until after I have this baby and today I felt OK again, so go figure. Pregnant running is such a mind fuck.

Since I'm no longer aerodynamically built for speed (i.e. too fat to sprint), I got to help with registration and timing at the first event in my running club Summer Track Series tonight. I brought my little assistant along with me. She was more interested in sampling the ice pops than helping with set up:

Why have I waited 2 long years to have this??

It was a beautiful night to be outside, but it was close to toddler bedtime and she was getting cranky so I had to bail after about an hour. Faith missed out on her chance to time a heat, but there is always next time.

Mommy, you can't make this pace.

Are you half as cranky as me about parents not herding their feral children in public?


When was the last time you ran on a real track? I don't think I have since high school. I didn't run tonight, so the streak goes on.