To have told a woman to take her shivering child home to bed in Primark

[BigRedBall]

I went out today to get a few bits and bobs and ended up in a Primark. Got to the lifts and saw a woman waiting with a pushchair and on it was hanging a school bag. Looked to her side and she had a school aged child with her who was visibly ill, shivering, moaning. I assumed she'd picked him up from school and was dropping by on way home, but then realised school bag was from a school other side of town.

We went up together and the boy was whimpering now and looked really bad. The mother didn't seem to notice/care.

So I was walking around and the tanoy went off asking for a store cleaner to go to "area bla bla bla" for a clean up. Didn't really take any notice until I walked to the other side of the shop and the same woman was standing there with a now crying baby in pushchair and crying/ shivering child who had been sick all over the shop floor. There were splatters of pink sick on clothes, the mirrors, it was disgusting and she was stood there on the phone to someone and was telling the boy off.

I don't know about anyone else, but when my children get ill and shiver like that with fever, the last thing I'd do is traipse them across town. I'd give them a hug and put them in bed and hold their head if they were being sick. Goodness knows vomiting is draining even for an adult.

I felt so angry for the poor boy. So I walked up to her and said "instead of bringing him to the shops from school, you should've taken him home to bed. I'd take him straight home and give the poor thing a hug".

I think she was more shocked than anything.

DH thinks I wbu and is shocked I'd say that to someone. I don't think I am. Also, I now feel sick and think I have his germs.

I used to get travel sick everytime my mum drove mr on the 15 minute journey to town
I often looked like death warmed up straight after but if she'd never taken me she would never have got anything done

Exactly most of you are forgetting tgat she was telling her sick child off and on the phone.

Well done op, I'd have probably said something too, especially after watching him be sick and then be told off for it.

If you could see he looked bad before he was sick, couldn't she?

Well, I've been woken up at 3 am with my children vomiting and I can't bring myself to tell them off even at that ungodly hour. If that makes me a superior parent then so be it. I bet no other normal parent would shout at their child for being ill.

YANBU. She should have taken him straight home rather than via a shopping trip in Primark.

Oh wrap up OP - are you on some sort of sanctimony medication or something?

People make mistakes. People make bad choices. In your life as a parent you will at some point fall on your arse. It WILL happen. How shit will you then feel if I bob over and give you a piece of my mind as well?

Blimey.

Ohhhh it is awful when your child is sick in a shop!! It has happened to me, he gemuinely didn't seem ill then splat, vomit everywhere! It is mortifying and I would have hated someone to vocalise their judgement, just think it like the rest of us!!

I was just going to say the same as a previous poster. Maybe he wasn't too bad when she picked him up from school. I certainly wouldn't have said anything. You know nothing.

It's more likely she calpoled the poor kid to get out of the house and shop. Such a selfish thing to do when the boy clearly should be at home.

Well done OP.Hillary Clinton said it takes a Village to raise a child and she is right. Some people have no compassion or common sense. Glad you said something. I dislike the attitude of "keep your beak out" Some children need advocacy and protection.

You'd have been floored in my local Primark, seriously!

YABU. You don't know the backstory. He could have not got ill till he got out..or she may have four more DC to consider and one of them might have needed something from the shop. NOt your business.

Have you never reacted badly when you're under stress your day has gone to shit (or puke in this case) and you've made a bad choice?

I have. Oh for fuckssake when DD puked all over the car seat, herself, everywhere. In the car park of an attraction at the beginning of a day out. I did say that to a two year old.

YWNBU. Poor little kid

Exactly marylou, this was not some travelsick kid or child who was sick all of a sudden, he was obviously unwell prior to that. No nothing is urgent from a clothes shop! Telling the boy off was awful. Good on you op or looking out for the boy. Yes dd was sick in the shopping centre once, fine before, she ate a macdonalds and it was a bit too much.

I certainly did not tell her off, I rushed her home into bed.

worra why would he ask for something specifically from Primark and then cry and whimper in the shop?

Because he's a child

Because maybe he felt ok enough to pop into the shop before you saw him.

I don't know and more importantly, you don't know either which is why you should have kept out of it.

I'm sure the fact he vomited everywhere made it clear to his Mum that she'd made the wrong decision, for whatever reason.

I just hope she's not a Mumsnetter.

People need to use a bit of common sense. We had a boy at scouts last week who was sick all over the toilets, then in the hall. Phoned his mum- no answer so we just had to sit him down and look after him. Turns out he had been sick at school and sent home. She sent him into scouts because he said he wanted to go. WTF? She didn't seem the least concerned when she picked him up. She certainly didn't thank us for clearing up after him.

Are people missing the part where she was telling him off for being sick? Where does that fit into poor ickle mummy who had vewwy vewwy important errands to run?

If she told him off, I sincerely doubt it was because he puked....

Mcglashen bloody awful and shameful of tgat mother. Yes some parents do prioritise their needs above their sick chikdren. Bet she wanted an hour to herself, we all do, but if your child is sick you don't send them into Scouts, you keep him home.

The school may have been the other side of town but whos to say she does not live close to primark/town. whos to say her docs was not close by and its that inbetween time where its not worth going home and to long to go docs waiting room. maybe she was in the situation where she really needed to be out and had no one to take care of the child.

when my kids are ill they dont seem ill at all they play chuck up and then run round the room.

Re the telling off - my daughter caught her foot on the bottom of the front door and cut it deeply. As she limped back in to the house pouring blood I said two crap and useless things:

'I TOLD you to wear sensible shoes'

and

'OOOh have you nearly cut your toe off?'

Not my finest hour but if one of you perfect mothers had rushed up to me and told me to give her a hug I don't like to speculate what would have happened.

In situations of stress sometimes we make an arse of ourselves. Other people should only comment when the know all the nuance of the situation.