Dear Unley Shopping Centre,
I will not be visiting you for a VERY LONG TIME after that spectacularly embarrassing tantrum by Miss Nearly 5. In fact, I don’t think I will ever leave the house again for fear of someone recognising me. Thinking I might just order all food and clothes online from now on. It will be a whole lot easier than trying to drag a screaming, kicking child out of your lovely arcade and into the car. Clearly, I am suffering PTS – Post Tantrum Stress – as it is definitely not like me to not want to visit shopping arcades. I am wondering if I can perhaps claim for some sort of damages as I found myself resorting to drinking cask rose and eating a whole block of Rum and Raisin chocolate and am now not feeling the best.
When I entered your store yesterday with my Mum and my three children everything was joyous. When we left ashen face with me forcing my catatonic 5yo into my car, I stopped to wonder if it was somehow the shopping centre’s fault, with all its shiny seats and glistening fridges stocked full of My Little Pony drink bottles. Luckily, only one of the kids was lured by the shiny stuff. Who knows what would have happened if all three simultaneously combusted?
Also, perhaps, next time could you make sure security guards come and shield us from the preying eyes of other shoppers and step in to stop “well meaning” women suggesting we buy a certain bullshit parenting book to stop the tantrums. It was pretty fucking obvious at that moment when my child was launching herself in to the bin trying to retrieve the “said milkshake” she “WANTED RIGHT NOW” that I did not want her advice. I also did not want her following me to my car while my child was trying to kick me in the head.
Anyway, it was nice while it lasted, but best I don’t show my face at your establishment for a very long time, unless of course a Country Road opens and then I may lift my ban on the proviso my children are not with me and I am wearing a disguise.
Thanks for the memories,
bigwords x
Hi, I'm Bianca Wordley, I write about life.
Oh the shopping centre tantrums suck…
I am still reeling from a whopper my then 3 year old boy chucked in the middle of our little towns shopping centre… and then continues as I dragging him out literally kicking and screaming with the baby under one arm and him under the other. I still recall the rude, ‘advice’ that was offered yet no one offered any help… no one offered to carry the shopping, or the baby… they all just told me what a shit mum I was.
Can you tell… I am still traumatised more than a year later!
Agree with you there. I was so traumatised by my then 3 year old’s tantrum (14 years ago) that if I see a kid have a meltdown in front of me at the mall, I smile at the mum & ask if I can help. Got to carry some photo frames once for a lady who was thinking twice about ever displaying pictures of her precious spawn, & happy when I got to hold a delicious new born for another.
Haha. Love your post. My 2 had a spectacular meltdown in local Coles a few years ago which resulted in eyes of every single shopper in the place on us. I did the only thing I could do in the circumstances, and started laughing. Defused the situation a little. Kids are bigger now so challenges are different, but memories of spectacular tantrums never fade.
like when we were warned we would be asked to leave the local club when Miss8 and her friend launched a full scale bitch slap session when the Club’s chocolate machine swallowed their money … xt
Sympathy. We’ve all been there. The trauma sucks. Leaves me exhausted for days. Miss9 had her most recent one about 6 months ago. But she’s 9…..and was able to run for over an hour. I was contemplating selling her on eBay at that point….
Ohhh, poor thing! We’ve had more than our fair share of those tantrums and they seem to be getting worse. Only thing is, my kids are 2 and 3. Are you telling me I still have another 2-3 years of this torture?!
Oh lovey feelin your pain :/ What is it with people giving advice WTF…help me instead!!
I can’t believe people were attempting to offer advice in a moment like that!
Oh my, I can sympathize! I think it’s almost harder when it’s an older child, with my two year old monster people seem to be less judgemental, especially if it’s a situation where I can explain she has a speech delay which makes it harder for her to express herself when she loses it! When my darling Amy loses her shit, like she did this week in the DVD rental place. Lordy. I am hissing at her to pull herself together, Stella is losing it because she doesn’t like seeing Amy upset and I just want to get OUT. I always throw sympathetic glances the way of other parents in those situations!
Aren’t those tannies the bomb? I hope you (and your pride) recover soon. Xx
deepest sympathies. When I see this happening I look away and run the other direction. I feel bad knowing how embarrassing it is. Ugh! xx
Oh dear. Poor Miss 5 being overwhelmed by all the shiny…..and poor you, having to cope with the fallout. I hope things calmed down quickly after you all left the store.
The security guards should run at parents in this situation and hand them drink bottles full of cask rose. I totally feel your pain, shame and embarrassment.
Why on earth would someone follow you to the car? That would have been really helpful?!
Parents take conunter-productive actions that ramp up tantrums. Pretend to ignore tantrums, The skilled parents who see you to this will admire you.
http://www.alankazdin.com/pdfs/10TipsforHandlingaDefiantChild.pdf
Oh that sucks. I’m still shocked that someone offered you parenting book advice? Who does this??
Come to Athelstone shops. Lexie has aclimatised them all, and me. Xxx
worst thing about Unley shopping centre, it’s fairly small and easy to remember faces 🙂
leave the kids in the car, even though it’s hot. I’m sure they’d be fine (ps. don’t leave your kids in the car hehehehe)
Oh love! I feel your pain.
Why do people think you would take their advice . . . they are lucky they didn’t get slugged!!!
Wine and Zoloft will help!!!
Birdie
I hate when strangers try to give me advice in the middle of my CRISIS. Clearly, I want to hide and not have you point out everything you think I am doing wrong!!!
I know this doesn’t make you feel better, but they all do it.
OOoooof that stinks. I can’t believe people gave you book suggestions! How condescending!
Oh HONEY! I felt every word and cringed right along with you. Little buggers have impeccable timing, dont they? My 3 year old was having a doozy just before Christmas in our local Centre and his daycare teacher witnessed the whole thing… I asked her if she’d like to mind him full-time while I felt the hot glare of passers by… Announcing loudly that Christmas was cancelled this year probably made them hate me more!
I hear you!! Those people giving advice in the middle of a tantrum should be shot!
I feel for you! I cannot fathom anyone dishing out parenting advice MID-tantrum! I believe that people who are inclined to do that may not have experienced The Biggest Tantrum Ever for themselves.
Maybe it would be less painful if we had our Tassie Devil Tantrum Champions going off together at the same time/same place? We could sit happily by, smiling serenely (Stepford who?) whilst they shattered glass with their high-pitched screams (my son’s sound strikingly similar to “Mummy!”, but as I am only 2 inches from him he must surely be talking to someone else, like someone in Siberia.) We would sip a cool drink and chat calmly until they passed out on the floor from sheer exhaustion.
Yeah, well, a frazzled mum can dream, can’t she?
Clearly I am with you, my sister in arms. May the self-appointed Parenting Police keep their mouths shut unless it is to ask how they can help or offer words of support such as “You’re a great mum. Don’t fret, I’ve been there, too”
xo
Oh, honey, I remember those days. STILL. My youngest is 11 years old but the memories of them losing the plot somewhere public are as fresh as they always were. 🙂
My youngest has mild autism and shopping with him in those early years was a nightmare. I used to plonk him in the trolley with enough snacks to keep him occupied and literally RUN through the aisles grabbing what I needed, hoping to hell I didn’t get stuck at the checkouts behind someone because major meltdown would be not far away. Heh.
It gets better, that’s all I can tell you. *hugs* Hang in there – we’ve all been there. 🙂
She followed you to the car? That woman needs to get a life of her own.
As for the tantrums… I know. Shit, my daughter was so good at it that Wollies opened a check out just for me and my banshee one day, so desperate were they to get her and her lungs out of the place.
But remember this, some of those people looking, they’re looking in sympathy and support. Knowing just how you feel, and hoping to maybe catch your eye and smile or nod in mutual parental support.
All parents have been there, otherwise they’re lying. It’s horrid, it’s hard, but it does pass.
xxx
I was in THAT place one day with my then 3 year old. I dropped everything I hadn’t paid for picked her up and started carrying her out of the shop. I was quite prepared to sacrifice the shoes she kicked off while trying to kick me. Then a lovely litltle old married couple walked up to us with her shoes and told her to stop it as she was hurting her mummy. She stopped mid screech and I was so grateful, embarrassed and upset all at the same time I started bawling! Now I go to the shop without her!
Oh sweetheart I so get that mix of emotions xx