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Original poster

Mum kicking off with child WWYD

153 replies

georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:21

Was in a pharmacy this morning with my kids and a mum came in a dragging reception-age boy in school uniform. Started properly shouting and kicking off with the pharmacist to the point security got involved. All about how her son was deathly ill and needed medication or she was going to get everyone sacked. (But clearly not just a desperate parent - really unhinged)

The boy was the sweetest little thing and was pulling on her hand saying let's just go. She obviously ignored him and he just stood there and started crying. She did give him a hug at one point.

WWYD? Can't really get involved but I felt so awful. I was that child growing up and I remember how it felt.

OP posts:
nancy2022 · 04/07/2023 10:23

Maybe she's been trying to get a doctors appointment for a while and thought the pharmacy was her last hope for her kid?

toomanyleggings · 04/07/2023 10:25

Presumably the pharmacy have her details. Really they should make a referral to childrens services but they likely won’t. I would probably ring childrens services yourself and give the details of the pharmacy and the incident. Not much else you can do

Original poster
georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:26

nancy2022 · 04/07/2023 10:23

Maybe she's been trying to get a doctors appointment for a while and thought the pharmacy was her last hope for her kid?

As I said, this clearly wasn't just a desperate mum. She was acting insane and aggressive and also being aggressive with her child before she started shouting.

OP posts:
Original poster
georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:27

toomanyleggings · 04/07/2023 10:25

Presumably the pharmacy have her details. Really they should make a referral to childrens services but they likely won’t. I would probably ring childrens services yourself and give the details of the pharmacy and the incident. Not much else you can do

He was wearing a school uniform but I didn't recognise it unfortunately
Don't think there's any chance SS will chase it up with the lack of detail

OP posts:
Feelingcrazy123 · 04/07/2023 10:28

Perhaps the medication was something she desperately needed. Yes she shouldn’t have acted that way but we don’t know her back story. I know from experience how exhausting, frustrating and mind numbing it can be to not be listened to. He son could be deathly ill and that medication could be thing that’s keeping him alive.

Lottie2shoes · 04/07/2023 10:29

Yes that is what i was about to say. You are looking at a snapshot and also may be biased due to your own childhood. She could just be at tethers end trying to make her son feel better. I would not necessarily judge.
I would think maybe she has had enough and is still trying to get her son sorted. She might have already tried the nice way and now is giving rough/ tough a try to see if it works.
Or she may just be that parent......
We do not know. Unless obviously you dripfeed and say you actually know her and she is like that usually!

nancy2022 · 04/07/2023 10:30

@georgarina I do get that.

I'm autistic and when it comes to my kids health / mental health / well being I don't always see sense.

YoSof · 04/07/2023 10:30

georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:26

As I said, this clearly wasn't just a desperate mum. She was acting insane and aggressive and also being aggressive with her child before she started shouting.

Show quote history

Aggressive with her child how?

Insane how?

You said in your opening post she was shouting at the pharmacist but gave her son a hug?

Lottie2shoes · 04/07/2023 10:30

And there it is! Lol

TheActualDevil · 04/07/2023 10:30

Do nothing. You have absolutely no idea what was going on.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 04/07/2023 10:33

georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:26

As I said, this clearly wasn't just a desperate mum. She was acting insane and aggressive and also being aggressive with her child before she started shouting.

Show quote history

I don't understand how you can say that it clearly wasn't desperation. You know nothing about her, her family, what's happened or what she's been told.

TheSnootiestFox · 04/07/2023 10:39

I was that parent a few weeks ago at an urgent treatment centre. Called unhinged and asked to leave by security. What had actually happened was that I had sat watching my 12 year old cry in pain for almost 5 hours, with no triage, no pain relief for him, no food or drink (we hadn't eaten for 9 hours by this point) and no acknowledgement of our existence. We'd also watched every one who had called 111 get seen before us (school had called me and I'd taken him straight from school so never thought to call.) By the time we saw the nurse, I was fizzing. She then refused to treat my son and he was sent away. I was then told this was my fault and my behaviour had caused him to suffer further. We both have ADHD and struggle with sitting still at the best of times and I struggle with emotional regulation occasionally although usually it's self loathing not anger, but I properly lost it. Not my finest hour I'll admit, but I am the sanest most rational human being usually until I see my children suffering and the system in place to help them not working. Then it's screaming banshee all the way and I'm sorry if you were caught up in that but I get it completely!

Original poster
georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:40

Lottie2shoes · 04/07/2023 10:29

Yes that is what i was about to say. You are looking at a snapshot and also may be biased due to your own childhood. She could just be at tethers end trying to make her son feel better. I would not necessarily judge.
I would think maybe she has had enough and is still trying to get her son sorted. She might have already tried the nice way and now is giving rough/ tough a try to see if it works.
Or she may just be that parent......
We do not know. Unless obviously you dripfeed and say you actually know her and she is like that usually!

It wasn't really about her son.
She was just ranting. About how they thought they were so much better than her, they need to come out from their desk and face her as a person, she has links to x and y political organisation.
Security got involved to tell her to calm down. Other customers were telling her to calm down...
I know it's typical for MN to say mind your own business. It's just sad that ignoring things like this and 'it's probably fine' in the face of a distressed child is so normalised.

OP posts:
LakeTiticaca · 04/07/2023 10:41

Keep your sticky beak out. Could be a loving mother at the end of her tether. I k ow because I've been there.
The last she probably needs is a busybody trying to make things worse for her

Original poster
georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:42

LakeTiticaca · 04/07/2023 10:41

Keep your sticky beak out. Could be a loving mother at the end of her tether. I k ow because I've been there.
The last she probably needs is a busybody trying to make things worse for her

And ignore the crying child standing there asking to go. Maybe spare a thought for him as well as the deranged parent.

OP posts:
TooOldForThisNonsense · 04/07/2023 10:43

Wow, “keep your nose out” is how children end up being abused and murdered.

WetBandits · 04/07/2023 10:44

LakeTiticaca · 04/07/2023 10:41

Keep your sticky beak out. Could be a loving mother at the end of her tether. I k ow because I've been there.
The last she probably needs is a busybody trying to make things worse for her

There is no excuse for behaving so aggressively towards pharmacy staff that security had to get involved.

CopperSeahorses · 04/07/2023 10:47

I know you don't have many details but it is still worth a call to social services, it is then up to them whether they chase it up with the pharmacy or now, any chance there is CCTV in the shop?

Bacontoastie · 04/07/2023 10:48

I’m a hca and I had to phone an ambulance for a patient on the weekend, she is still in hospital. The reason being that due to repeated cock ups by the pharmacy she hasn’t had an essential medication since the 12th of last month, and two more medications since Tuesday last week. Another patient has just had part of her bowel removed and now has a colostomy bag as the pharmacy wouldn’t give her the laxatives a doctor told her to get, her bowel impacted until she was vomiting feces. Do you think the parent has gone in all guns blazing with a sick and distressed child for nothing? If whatever’s happened isn’t the fault of the pharmacist then of course she’s unreasonable. But at the same time that’s what it takes sometimes to make yourself heard.

toomanyleggings · 04/07/2023 10:48

georgarina · 04/07/2023 10:27

He was wearing a school uniform but I didn't recognise it unfortunately
Don't think there's any chance SS will chase it up with the lack of detail

Show quote history

Well that’s on them. They could easily call the pharmacy.
Yes it could be just a worried mother but it might be something more. Everyone has a responsibility to safeguard children

Bacontoastie · 04/07/2023 10:49

CopperSeahorses · 04/07/2023 10:47

I know you don't have many details but it is still worth a call to social services, it is then up to them whether they chase it up with the pharmacy or now, any chance there is CCTV in the shop?

You want her to phone social services because she got aggressive with people who she felt weren’t listening to her and helping her child enough?

Mariposista · 04/07/2023 10:50

SS wouldn't do anything, but women like her need a boot up their arses and a good scare to control their tempers. It is NOT ok to kick off in public, and especially when you are in charge of a small child. Sounds like the little boy is way more mature than her.

Sweetchillidumplings · 04/07/2023 10:51

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a pharmacy that has security?

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 04/07/2023 10:54

Sweetchillidumplings · 04/07/2023 10:51

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a pharmacy that has security?

Could have been in a shopping centre/supermarket?

WonderfulUsername · 04/07/2023 10:54

But clearly not just a desperate parent - really unhinged

What does the word 'unhinged' mean to you OP?

Mentally ill?