This mum just blocked my toddler from approaching hers

Racist? Assault? I think you need to go and have a little lie down.

In real life, people get on with whatever they are doing, only the very bored or the very old and lonely try to have interactions with randoms.

And toddlers.

Interesting though. I don't regard myself as bored, very old or lonely but I do talk to randoms (people in a queue, people who are serving me in a shop, waiting at a bus stop, I even say hello to people when I walk round my village).

It's like Little Britain with Catherine Tate on MN today.
Oh Annabel don't let that feral toddler touch you, run while Mummy blocks him.

as most of us don't live in Walnut Grove or PeppaLand, I would respectfully disagree.

In real life, people get on with whatever they are doing, only the very bored or the very old and lonely try to have interactions with randoms.

Maybe she was pissed off generally about life, her DH had just text her to say he’d be home late, she’d been awake with a contrary 2 year old since 5:30am, and she’d really just had enough of her own child that day let alone turning round to find another random one tagging along, and really just wanted to scream “gah, will everyone just sod off!”?

Are you always this dramatic, or is today a special occasion?

So many reasons why she might have done this - she was in a hurry, her kid might be going through a difficult hitting or snatching phase, her kid might have chicken pox or Covid or something and she thinks it’s fine to take him to the shops, but didn’t want anyone too near (illogical but could happen)

I think (I hope!) the poster is being sarcastic 😂

Op, you have to keep in mind that while many on here are decent, there are a significant number who are mean as hell, hardened toward children, and think being hateful to a child is something to be applauded. It instead exposes a lack of class and a lack of perception. They don’t even realize how awful they make themselves look. That’s how obtuse they are.

Today I am having a really awful day, I would probably be a bit short with others if I was out and about. Maybe this mum is just having a really tough day and just wants to get home and SCREAM! She's not a monster, we don't know what else is going on, just let it go.

You're being ridiculous.

This is one of those threads where MN is entirely different to RL.

In RL when you go to public places you can expect some interaction with other people.
In RL when toddlers meet each other, their carers don't put a physical bar between them, nor whip them away with no explanation ("bless them, but we've got to be at the dentist in 5 mins...must dash").

I think if I was out walking with my toddler and really didn't want them to interact with anyone I would put them in a pushchair or carry them.

Of course there could be a very valid reason this person put her arm between your son and her child, but I would think it a bit odd.

Maybe you shouldn't let your toddler approach strangers in shops, then other parents wouldn't be forced to intervene.

I think you're being precious OP, as only people with children can be about their offspring (not that that's shared by all parents at all, mind you, as evidenced here on this thread by some posters with actual self awareness).

I can forgive a toddler not reading social situations, adults are the real problem I find.

Which I suspect is exactly what happened here. You missed some important social cues and body language signs from mum, before she blocked your child from following alongside them. Eg. avoiding eye contact, grimaced or 'forced' smile' with lips pursed, eyebrow flash whilst force smiling, turning body slightly away, speeding up slighty, even just obvious and blatent ignoring, is a very important sign. You missed one.

I remember once shopping in asda. Was looking at the sweetie aisle, was very close to the shelf of the items I was choosing from. A child climbed in between me and the shelf (there was barely any space, I was quite aghast at his efforts to get between us). He wasn't even quickly grabbing a sweetie. I looked behind me to the mother who was just stood there like some sort of empty husk, I gave her a look but genuinely she just was blank in the eyes and didn't even seem to realise the rude behaviour of her son. There wasn't even a sense of entitlement in her expression, just pure stupidy looking back.

Sometimes parents aren't with it (and I don't blame them). I suspect this was you in this case, that or the entitlement that people should want to interact with your son no matter what they're doing.

She doesn't owe you an explanation of what she was doing, if she was busy and in a hurry, if her child doesn't play well with others, if he's ill - nothing. It's none of your business - she's a stranger out shopping.

School/nursery run for other child, parking due up.

Shopping with toddlers is -one of the circles of hell- not something I enjoy. I want it done and over before they decide the need something and lose their mind if they can't have it .

Where does racism come into it? What have I missed?

Ah well. Never mind. 🙄

I would have removed my toddler from this situation (because he is having a stage where everything belongs to HIM and he would grab the toy, not give it back until it was prised from him, and then he would cry and it would just be all around awful).

However, I wouldn’t have blocked yours and I would have said something to your child along the lines of ‘oh it’s so very kind of you to show xxx your toy, he hasn’t learned to share yet I’m afraid but thank you’ and whisked my little gremlin away. So I think she was a bit forceful but she may have just been focused on de-escalating what could have been a meltdown scenario for her child.

That doesn’t excuse being mean to a little 3 year old child. No need to stick arm out and act hostile. Class is ultimately kindness and it certainly wasn’t kind what this obnoxious woman did. She did not act kindly toward this child and that is the issue. Plenty of ways to gently handle these situations.

She wasn't mean or aggressively hostile don't be so dramatic.

Strangers don't owe you interaction or explanations for their behaviour. She moved a random (probably annoying) toddler out of her way and carried on with her day - good for her.

you forgot misogynistic, sexist, discriminative, and let's be honest, hateful.

I would press charges against any witness who did not call the armed police immediately when seeing this horrendous, violent and life-changing attack.

Love and prayer for the child, let's hope he doesn't suffer from PTSD.

Yeah I bet you would aye.

Only the fear of upsetting the children stopping you from dripping your sarcasm all over the floor is it, not the fear of being rightly told to go fuck yourself and mind your business by a stranger?

Don't be ridiculous, lots of posters have given plenty of good examples of why the other mum may have wanted to keep a distance between the kids.

It's the mum and the poster who are making a massive drama out of it. The toddlers likely barely even noticed anything, and had forgotten the "incident" 6 seconds after it happened.