The McDonald’s Mom Nazi

So the other day I was at McDonald’s with both boys (2 and 4), my mom and my younger sister.  I was treating Aidan because he had a really good day at school.  I could see Aidan up in the tunnel/play area creation play-fighting with two older boys (6-8 years old?) but no one was crying and boys will be boys.  Gavin was being good and just climbing all over.

I didn’t see Aidan hitting anyone other then the play-wrestling with the two boys but I did tell yell up to him to calm down and no hitting.  Then I saw some kids coming out, going to their mom and then pointing up to where Aidan was.  I figured “Oh no.”  Then Aidan came out and over to our table to grab a chicken nugget and this mother had the nerve to come up to me and yell at me!  She was not nice about it and said that Aidan was up there hitting all the kids, including her three daughters.  Then she said Aidan hit her 10-year-old daughter in the face and she was crying.  Okay first off is this 10-year-old a wuss, I mean Aidan doesn’t hit to hurt people but rather to play so he couldn’t have hit her hard.  But yes I know he shouldn’t be hitting anyone.

And I would have disciplined him right away (but of course he ran back into the play area thing) if she hadn’t come over and started yelling at me!  I mean all she had to say was “Miss, your child is up there hitting a lot of kids, including my daughters.”  I would have then quickly grabbed Aidan and gave him a time-out.

But, I was fuming that she so loudly yelled at me!  I said that he is just 4 years old and doesn’t mean it and that he was just copying what the older boys were doing up there!  (Why does Aidan have to take all the blame because he doesn’t know better and is following the examples of the bad kids instead of the good ones!”)  I then ignored her and looked up to try to find Aidan.

So Aidan was back up there playing and the McDonald’s Mom Nazi had her daughters safely at her side, yes the 10-year-old was still whimpering for attention.  Then she came up behind me and started yelling again that he is up there hitting other kids!  So she is now basically watching Aidan to see how he acts!  I said “I’m sorry my 4 year old son with special needs does not understand and copies other kids!”  She yelled loud enough that other parents heard of course how her 3 year old is better behaved.  The lady next to me started in on how I shouldn’t let Aidan hit!

So when I could, I had Aidan and Gavin come to the table and I talked to Aidan about not hitting.  We sat there for a while longer and they ate then we left.  In the past when other kids were being bad around my kids, we left the place and it’s not like you have to pay to get into McDonald’s, that mom could have left if her daughters (all older than Aidan) were so afraid of my 4 year old son.

Again I am not saying it is okay to hit, it is actually a constant battle with me and him to explain that he needs to calm down and other kids don’t like to be touched.  He basically “tags” kids or just copies what older kids do.

Basically I would have appreciated that other mother to come talk to me, instead of yelling at me in the middle of the McDonalds play area.  She implied that I was a bad mom who couldn’t control her kids.  You know what I am 6 months pregnant and doing the best I can.  Aidan is very active and when around a lot of kids he gets over-excited, did she want me to spank him or leave McDonalds?

I also think kids need to handle things on their own sometimes because mom is not always going to be there, like on the school playground or whatever.  If a kid said to Aidan to stop then he would, he is more likely to listen to someone closer to his age than an adult.  Kids can also be drama queens and go crying to their parents for a little tap (and I know because my youngest can play the drama queen role.)

What would you have done?  Left McDonalds?  Yelled back?  Ignored the mom?  Apologized and left it at that?