Perfect Mother for a Minute

Yesterday I ran some errands with my 2 year old, Austyn, while Rylie was at Preschool. Is it not so much easier with 1 kid?? Anyway, I decided to stop and have a little quality time with her over a cup of coffee and a juice box. About 5 minutes into our coffee break, an elderly lady yells from a few tables over, "it's so nice to see a child sitting nicely and quietly, there's just no excuse for kids running around and screaming in places like this."

I opened my mouth to say, "this is a rarity." But then I stopped myself and gave her an "oh boy, do I know what you mean" nod.  Then I did what any smart mother would do....I inhaled my coffee, grabbed the juice box and said "let's get out of here" to Austyn. Why take the risk of tarnishing my "perfect mother" reputation?

Then, as if trying to sabotage my high, we went into a store with insanely tiny and breakable collectibles.  We were the only ones in there of course, magnifying my every motherly move.  Austyn's little fingers were itching to touch and making the salesperson a nervous wreck. Then, as if on cue, she started coughing so hard a lung almost came up.  Let's just say that if looks could kill, I'd be dead.  The cashier stared me right out of the place as if to say "what kind of mother are you? First of all, do not bring your child in here....ever.  Second, how can you even think of taking her out of the house with that cough?"

So right now, some old lady thinks I'm a mother who does no wrong, while some cashier has me pegged.