Tantrums ! Toddlers ! & Terrible Two's!

I'm not going to lie. As a black child, or rather growing up in a black household, we [or I] was conditioned to think that only certain kind of folks kids had tantrums in public places. We [or I]  was conditioned to think black/minority kids just didn't behave that way because they just knew better. And we knew that if we acted out in public in front of our mama's that it would be our behinds when we got home. 


Even today as an adult, I would see kids throw tantrums in public places and I would just shake my head.  Thinking, "you know, if that were my child that would never happen!". I imagined that "I would do this... and say this...and do all these things, that I never even saw my own mother do because guess what? I wasn't crazy enough to have a tantrum in a public place.     So at this point, I was really just guessing the kind of hell I would give my kid if they embarrassed me. 

Ohhhhhhh... But ONE SWEET DAY!! 

Quintin and I went to Home Goods because we are  I am re-decorating our formal living room. We had been shopping for about an hour, when Lolo started to get a bit fussy. So I asked him to run to the car and get her snacks and juice box to calm her down. She continued to fuss and whine the whole time he was gone. So, I had the bright idea to take her out of the shopping cart and let her walk beside me as I shop. You know, let her stretch her legs a little bit. 

Don't you know that out of the clear blue heavenly skies, this girl threw herself down on the floor like she was caught by the holy spirit? Lolo started kicking, screaming and hollering on the floor of these peoples store!!?!?

Exactly what it looked like

I turned around with the speed of lightening and couldn't believe my eyes!!! 

Complete and Utter Shock! 

I whisper "Jade get up"... she gets louder. "Lolo Up-Up" (trying to use baby talk) she becomes more belligerent. It's like at this very moment, I was on stage. It was my chance to do all the things, I swore up and down that I'd do when I saw other children acting out in public with tantrums. I panicked! "OMG where is Q" I need some male authority over here. At this point, folks were starting to stop and look at us. The same way I would look at those women whose children chose the wrong place and time to want to show off. It's like all these women knew I had casted judgement in the past and they wanted to see me squirm and suffer.

I swear this is how they looked!

After a few minutes of what felt like hours had passed. Lolo was still acting up, and most people started walking in opposite directions as if not to embarrass me more. I gave Miss Jade Lois a piece of my mind:

I mean.. in so many words!


I was so upset and quite frankly embarrassed at this point. I yelled "Lolo if you do not get up I'm going to leave you right here!!!!" I thought I was in the aisle by myself,  until I turn around and see Mrs. Perfect with her well behaved toddler in his green little jacket sitting in his cart both staring at me. 

And what are you looking at? 

I could have wrung that woman's neck! I wanted to be like "BOO"! 

The nerve of her to judge me! 

Quintin finally shows up with the snacks! I snatch it out his hands; mad at him, Lolo and everybody! But, at this point Lolo is more calm because I basically went from Susie Homemaker Perfect Mom to Shaquita Neck Breaker Ratchet Mama! and I think she saw the rage and drank a cup of that "act right", that I was serving her. 

Long story shorter, don't let life deal you a slice of humble pie that you can't chew. Judge Not!

#ThatsSoJaded