to have called a woman in TK Maxx an "effing idiot" for this...

[dontsqueezetheteabag]

she had her child in one of those shopping baskets that have wheels and a pull up handle. Child must have been about 12 months old. Woman turned round to look at something on the shelf and let go of the handle on the basket. Child stood up in the basket and it tipped backwards. The poor child fell with it banging the side of her little head on the tiled floor.

I was TRUELY appaulled by this and muttered "fucking idiot".

Why the HELL would you let your child stand in one of those baskets???!!!!

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

poppinin was that the Coventry store?


OP there was no need for swearing really. The mother would have been feeling bad as it is.

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

I'm surprised she managed to find one where the handle stayed put tbh, I seem to always get a dud one that keeps going back down. [sadface]

[HaroldLloyd]

I think I might have done it for a little bit, if I wasn't thinking.

Letting go of the handle was unwise.

[spotscotch]

I am usually at the 'don't judge the woman you just saw calling her kid a little cunt while repeatedly kicking him in the head, she might just be having a bad day' types on mumsnet.

However, I do think that the situation you have described was no more than an unfortunate accident due to a lapse of judgement. Yes, letting her kid go in the basket was stupid, but people are only human and parents make dumb mistakes. When you have your first lapse of judgement (and trust me it will happen, no matter how much of a careful parent you think you will be) you will just have to hope that no one is muttering 'fucking idiot' at you, when you are panicking about your screaming g child.

[Reddwarflover]

It's like when people over load the buggy with shopping and then let go of the handle = pushchair tipping over. I think thats pretty stupid too.

[WhiteandGreen]

YABU

[HaroldLloyd]

I've done that the first time I went shopping with a buggy.

DS thought it was hilarious.

There was no one on hand to call me a fucking idiot but I kind if knew that for myself.

[Bogeyface]

OP - AIBU for swearing at this woman

MN - Yes

OP But look what she did!

MN - What she did was ill advised, but you didnt ask that, YWBU to swear at her

OP - Oh so you think what she did was ok? IANBU!

Why ask?

[Toomuchjiggleinmywiggle]

I have done exactly what this woman has done in the past, only at Marks and Spencer's,this thread could be about me. I am educated, I have a professional job but for whatever reason at the time I had a lapse in judgment. I was at the till,my 20 month little boy was giggling away and I was paying attention. Then I had to pay.... As soon as he fell I felt horrific and wondered what on earth I was doing . Being a mum is hard enough work without every little mistake you make being pointed out by strangers. He was fine, it was more of a fright for him than anything else. No I won't do it again and I'm sure the woman in op won't either

[YouTheCat]

I am mourning the demise of common sense.

I do think the muttering was unnecessary though.

[SirChenjin]

Boegyface - MN? Hardly! Plenty on here (myself included) who think the mother was a complete idiot for putting her child in a shopping basket.

[PrettyKitty1986]

I was once in Tesco with the dc (2 and 4 at the time). I had just picked them up from my mums after going to the gym so I was wearing a track suit. The dc were filthy and streaked in mud from a day in the garden.

I put them both in the main part of the Trolly to be quick. I was only nipping in for a bottle of wine for df so went straight to the alcohol aisle. As I was browsing I stupidly turned away from the dc for a split second. As I turned back, ds2 was leaning far out over the side of the trolley with a bottle of wine in his hand and the trolley was just at tipping point.

I made a grab for the trolley and the wine at the same time, got the wine but couldn't stop the trolley tipping.

10 seconds later when about 5 people came running, they found me in my tracksuit flat on my back on the floor and clutching a bottle of wine, with my two filthy toddlers in a heap on the floor, screaming their heads off and the trolley on its side next to them.

I am a fucking awesome mum most of the time. One stupid incident does not change that, it just makes me human and apt to have lapses in concentration and/or judgement.

[FrogsGoWhat]

Sorry PrettyKitty but the mental image I had then really had me laughing.... hope they were ok

[PrettyKitty1986]

I can laugh now, I wanted the ground to swallow me at the time though!

I should have added they were both fine, not a scratch on them, just got a bit of a fright!

[blueshoes]

Not surprised OP has not had children ... I know the sort.

[spotscotch]

prettykitty I'm really sorry, but that is hilarious!

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

There are posters berating the OP for being rude by.....being rude!

[AnnabelleLee]

Loads of us put our kids in positions where the could hurt themselves, all the fucking time, even all the perfect parents saying what a daft cow this woman was. Get fucking over it. So a kid bangs their head, so fucking what?

[kali110]

I dont think it was a lapse of concentration i think it was stupid. I feel awful for the little one. Op shouldnt have said it but i dont blame them for thinking it.
I dont understand people taking prams and pushchairs on escalators. I once saw one tip over on one :-/ it was terrible. There are signs everywhere saying use the lifts i honestly dont understand why people would take the risk.

[MarmaladeTwatkins]

So I take it that all of the pious crew on here berating basket woman have NEVER caused their child a mischief through being a bit dim-witted, momentarily?

My, my. What charmed lives and exemplary parents your DC have. Let me see if I can find a medal for you... ... oh look, FOUND ONE

[Bogeyface]

Boegyface - MN? Hardly! Plenty on here (myself included) who think the mother was a complete idiot for putting her child in a shopping basket.

I dont think anyone is saying that she was right to do that, at best there have been suggestions of her not thinking it through to its natural conclusion, at worst, yes an idiot.

But thats not what the OP asked. She asked if SWBU to call this woman a fucking idiot and yes she was.

[YouTheCat]

No, I have never caused either of my kids an injury due to being a bit dim-witted.

Ds has been to A and E once when he put his fist through a pane of glass in a door (which I thought I had replaced with plastic, but must have missed one pane - typical).

Neither of my two have been particularly wrapped in cotton wool. I must just be really lucky or have a shed load of common sense or something.

[Eilidhbelle]

There are so many threads on MN about people who've been out with their kids and a random stranger has come over and said something about their behaviour/clothes/appearance which has upset them. So it's quite nice to hear the random stranger's explanation of why they do what they do.

OP, YWcompletelyBU to speak to someone like that, it was totally uncalled for - and if you had said that to me, we would have had words. No way would I stand for someone being so rude.