Today DD, 18 months, and I were in a big chain cafe in town. It was fairly quiet and DD was babbling away, smiling and waving. She has extremely red hair and often attracts attention and comments and several people had already said hello to her and mentioned her hair. I assume this is how we were identified as not being ‘foreign’.
A man, probably mid 60s, pasted on his way back from the toilet and stoped and said how lovely DD’s hair is. I thanked him and then he said:
“So happy too, not like all these foreign babies in town, crying their heads off all day.”
I replied “Well I’m not sure about that.” Trying to convey a sense of disapproval.
He then said “That’s because they don’t look after them properly.”
I said “I don’t think that’s right.” But he wasn’t looking at me and was just waving at DD and then left.
It unsettled me and I wish I had said something stronger or made my feelings even clearer.
What could I have said that would have got my point across better? Is it unreasonable to say something when you know there is little chance of changing someone’s view? Or unreasonable to say nothing?