I can't be the only one this has happened to!

[RockyisMYRhino]

Had to take DS (nearly 3) with me to the supermarket this morning as DH had a important meeting so couldn't look after him like he usually does. At the realisation daddy wasn't coming with us DS decided to turn into a demon child who would do nothing but scream and cry the whole journey there. Once we got there, he doubled up his efforts when I tried to get him to sit in the trolley and wriggle, cling and try and climb all over me to escape my efforts. I gave up at this point and then had a massive battle to get him back in the car seat while everyone walking past was giving me filthy looks (presumably because it looked like I was being extremely forceful) and having a bit of a cry myself. Please tell me I'm not alone and this has happened to someone else! Felt like an awful mum all day

Yes of course it has! You are not alone. My kids are dicks.

Of course it happens to most parents.

At that age DS did that once, and a woman I didn't know, quite a bit older than me, had to help me stop him trying to stand up in the trolley seat screaming. She told me all of hers (now grown) had done it occasionally. Covid obviously means no one will come to help ATM though.

I've carried one of mine out of a supermarket on many occasion and was once stuck in the nursery car park for an hour as I could not my son in the car seat. He's so flaming strong and I was using all my strength but just couldn't get him to bend enough . Believe me you are not alone

I had something similar once with my 3 year old. I don't know what got into him but we were waiting for an item in argos and he just lost the plot, he went berserk screaming, laying on the floor kicking etc.. I have never been so embarrassed, to make it worse the item took agessss to come down the chute.
Marched him back to the car and he was still going for it and a man shouted at me on the escalator to "shut that kid up", I said excuse me? He said "shut that fuckin kid up!" I picked my son up and ran back to my car and cried my heart out.
It was awful and I felt for anyone listening to it, especially the people in argos but it was also awful for me.

I wanted to die on the spot, people need to be more understanding that children do this sometimes.
It isn't nice for anyone.

A normal experience for a parent. Everyone is being super sensitive and nervy at the moment which probably explains the unkind looks. Ignore.

It's happened to most parents. I've got three under five so it's pretty standard for someone to be screaming and carrying on about something, I don't really pay much attention now!

The last time my three year did what you are describing, a helpful woman came up and said 'ooh someone's not very happy!', I replied 'yes, me.'

A woman once stopped her car and gawped at me while trying to wrestle my dd3 into her car seat.

Literally no shame.

In Aldi...one of many of these as you describe btw.
A little old fella shuffled up to me, pressed a £2 coin into my hand and sad “here, buy him something to shut him up”!!

In sports direct an assistant came up with her walker talkie bent down to my screaming flat on his back 3 year old and began to pretend to talk to someone on the walk-in talkie. She was saying “no no no, I don’t think we need the policeman to come, I think this fella is going to stop making this noise in our shop aren’t you mate?”
He stopped, looked at her then cranked up the volume and carried on.
She mouthed “I’m so sorry, I did try” and patted me on the shoulder.
That kid was a dick head.

Many memories of trying to get Dd1, rigid as a plank of wood, into her car seat. It often took 2 of us.

She's 20 now and a real delight. Gets in the car like a normal person but refuses to learn to drive. Maybe we traumatised her when she was 18 months old?

Yup been there with my 3 year old daughter, I remember the worst was when she was on the floor in B&Q and I could not get her up as she's go stiff as a board when I tried. I ended up just standing there and waiting I think most people totally understand as they've all been there themselves

Thanks everyone I'm feeling a bit better about it all now. Think the heat of the last few days must have gone to his head or something. It's a good job he's cute when he's asleep is all I can say for how the rest of the day panned out. Sent DH out for wine and chocolate once he has finished WFH today so cheers ladies!

My dd is adored by everybody at church, with old ladies cooing about how good she is. Except one day when she was 3.5 she was a horror from the word go. Tantrums, throwing stuff, spitting.... you name it. So I took her home early. Except that as I went to open the car she somehow gave me the slip, ran down the road, back into church red in the face and howling like a banshee. Stopped the service in it's tracks.

Another time I took her to a fun day at my own school, where she proceeded to misbehave so badly I decided to go home. She refused point blank to leave and I had to carry her out like a roll of carpet.

I wondered what the parents thought of a teacher who couldn't control her own child!

There was the time one of my twins got stuck under a supermarket trolly and screamed the place down. I think someone helped me lift the trolley off him. It's all a blur so I'm not sure. I didn't take them again until they were about 8!

There was the time the same twin refused to walk from nursery to the car and just sat down on the path. Unfortunately he sat in the puddle and screamed his rage to the world as I carried him thrashing under one arm to the car.

It's not just you.

We've all been there, it's just one of those things. There's every chance you were getting sympathetic looks, but you were so wound up from the horrible situation you perceived them as judgemental. It's done now, tomorrow will hopefully be a better day.

If you've not had to remove your screaming toddler from somewhere under your arm like a roll of carpet, are you even a Mum? 😂

Kids are dicks, good job they're cute!

Happened to us all.

There were one or two occasions when I have picked up a stiff screaming child with an arm round the midriff and marched out of a shop with them, much like you would carry a plank of wood. If you have them facing outwards away from you, there's less chance of being either kicked, punched or deafened.

Oh gosh, don't worry at all! You're far from the first and you definitely won't be the last. Perhaps he was tired, or hungry, or just bored or being a three year old?? Who knows. Nobody who has been there would judge you. And the ones who would judge will think back to that moment years later when they are in the same boat and kick themselves :)

DS1 was phenomenal at tantruming (with hindsight his autism was a major factor).
Supermarkets were a speciality. Unfortunately he had multiple food allergies that meant I shopped across 4 different supermarkets to give us a varied diet and couldn't internet shop.
Added to this, when he was 2, I was heavily pregnant and on crutches with SPD which meant that I had to rely on his co-operation with wàlking which was fragile.
At 38 weeks pregnant we went to the supermarket cafe just to get out of the house and I was then spent. He wanted the toy aisle. I couldn't drag myself that far. He ended up doing a full on, floor polishing tantrum at the entrance of the cafe/ store. I couldn't even bend down to him. Fortunately a delightful older couple offered some help, picked him up, carried him to a ride on and insisted on putting 50p in to cheer him up enough so that he was capable of walking back to the car. I remain forever grateful to them.

Yeah you’re not alone
I’ve carried a screaming child out of soft play in a fireman’s lift before now
Had the same child kick off in the supermarket/ A cafe / at a day out / all very embarrassing

It’s horrid but they do stop doing it eventually

At a vair swanky resort thing in the Caribbean, I had to carry LO off the beach, kicking and screaming, over my shoulder like a surfboard past the posh restaurant and diners. And then had to try to strap into pushchair opposite restaurant entrance. LO went all rigid and then slithered to the floor like jelly to continue the screaming and crying. I just had to sit on the floor and wait a bit to get my nerve back. It was years ago and I'm still mortified.

On at least 3 occasions I've had someone hold my trolley for me whilst I wrestled a screaming 2 year old in and the car seat battles were ongoing for about 8 months!!!😃 Also the sitting down refusing to walk. Many a time I've done the school run carrying him like a package under my arm!

Happens to all of us. My 16 month old is becoming a nightmare to get into the buggy. I've found singing 'try not to get worried' from Jesus Christ superstar helps

Oh I remember the first time I had to do this, it was in IKEA. It felt like a proper parenting milestone. I carried her under my arm all the way through their stupid one way system, she screamed right up until I wrestled her into the car and then promptly fell asleep.

She was 2 though, mine was one of those unusual children who was actually quite nice at age 3! All unravelling a bit at age 4...

DD was so bad as a toddler, I was once asked if she'd been Christened in church.

She's lovely now she's an adult.

My 3 year old has decided lockdown is over and social distancing is no longer in place. In fact, he's making a point to try and stand as close as he possibly can to every stranger he comes across.

Yesterday we were walking past the bus stop and I had arms full of shopping, my phone and dd's ice cream that wouldn't fucking open. Ds3 decides to try and insert himself between two elderly ladies while holding his ice cream. Absolute fucking chaos followed with me dragging him out from between them while trying not to drop the shopping or cover everyone around us with ice cream. Kids are wankers.