by Laura Millward

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

On a recent trip to the local supermarket, my darling two-year-old daughter decided to pick that convenient time to have a tantrum over her not wanting to get the shopping - great fun I can tell you, and I'm sure many of you parents can relate to me. I got flustered and annoyed that people were looking at her and me, with a horrified expression on their faces - almost like my toddler was the first one ever to throw a tantrum in a supermarket.

I desperately wanted to stand my ground and not give in to my toddler, after all, what was I teaching her by giving off the impression that if she screamed in public, I will admit defeat and give her what she wants? All that said however, I still felt the urge to hush over the incident due to people staring and blatantly showing their disgust. These onlookers made me feel like this would not happen with their children, this I firmly do not believe. It's a simple fact that all children have a tantrum to a degree, some scream and shout and others simply stamp their feet. Granted it may not always be on public view, but does that make them any less real? Of course it doesnt.

Lets face it, a supermarket is hardly a quiet place like a church, and 5 minutes out of their time will not make a huge difference to their day. The point is, I'm a good parent, with good values, and I shouldn't have to justify the way I choose to parent my toddler to a bunch of strangers in a supermarket. A few of these onlookers had children with them, and they tried to look away shamefully as I caught their eye as they knew full well it could happen to them too at any time, yet it is easy to look and stare when it's not their own child at that precise moment in time.

By the time all of this had run through my mind, and I had gone crimson with embarrassment, my toddler had decided to forget the tantrum and wanted to help mummy with the shopping after all. The onlookers' frowns then turned to smiles, when my toddler decided to help me pick out potatoes and put them in a bag and into the basket. One even had the cheek to tell me she was ' a little gem ' - well that comment was truly lost on me after the stares I'd received only five minutes prior to that. I'm well and truly fed-up with people who haven't a clue who I am or what I stand for.

I try to do the best by my child and this means keeping up consistency in the way I deal with her, this should go for wherever I am. I shouldn't have to send my toddler mixed signals simply because some people do not have a sympathetic bone in their body. If I see a mother with a demanding child, I look the other way and let her get on with it how she sees fit. Its a shame not all people can do this and not make mothers like me feel bad.

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