One who lives in a densely populated urban area is naturally surrounded by people of several walks of life. All of which make up this tossed cultural salad in Chicago. Our salad bowl: Public Transit.
Most of the time, we riders of public transit sit quietly as we await our anticipated destination. But other times, we get a glimpse into the lives of a complete stranger. One of these purported glimpses: parenting.
Scenario #1: Hopeful
Mother in the front of the bus sits quietly with her grocery bags over the rail as her 2-year-old son sits on her lap. Curiously, the child examines everyone who boards the Western bus at Armitage. After the bus starts moving and no one makes eye contact with the child, he turns around to face his mother and gently rubs his nose on her nose. Mother smiles, like no one else exists but him.
Scenario #2: Really?
Mother is standing at the front of a seemingly empty California bus with her two 3-year-old daughters sitting on the seat eating crackers. The one 3-year-old holds her hand up to her mother to take the cracker. She no longer wanted it. The mother, annoyed at her daughter, stops the conversation with her friend to say to her daughter: “Shut up and get over yourself!”
Me: Speechless.
She’s 3, not 16. Poor girls. I feel bad for any of their future teachers. I am not a parent, nor do I claim to understand parenting. But… REALLY??
These stories brought to you by Parenting in Public.
