Why would she think this is ok?

[GanderingGoose]

DD (20 months) and I are stood at the bus stop waiting for bus home after work and nursery pick up. It's pretty chilly here today in the lower single digits but DD is wearing a few layers with a full snow suit over the top and her hat/mittens. DD is jabbering away quite happily when an older lady further down the queue says 'excuse me, just put the hood up on your pram to keep your little one warm'. I agree that it is rather chilly today but my DD is quite snug because she's wearing her layers/snow suit /hat etc. The lady tutted and said that what was I thinking taking her out at this time of day anyway. I mean , what am I supposed to do? Just hibernate away from 4pm each winter? Is this lady just a bit bat shit or was it generally considered more welcome to offer 'advice' to strangers in previous generations.

Your baby was warm and happy....she was an interfering old bat.

You’ll encounter this sort occasionally. I remember a lady making a big song and dance that my daughter didn’t have a coat on in a shop one evening as it was a bit chilly. I offered to go to the car with her and she could try and wrestle my very over tired child into her coat if she felt necessary. She didn’t take me up on it.

Just be glad she isn't your MIL.

Get use to it, once you have kids this will happen quite a bit!

I recall being in the Dr's waiting room with my 3 year old son who was playing with the toys. An elderly lady gave him a big wrapped boiled sweet, I took it off him, gave it her back, and said he wouldn't be able to eat that yet, it was too big.

She was really affronted and said 'well, he will never learn will he'?'

People love giving advice. Just look at Mumsnet!

Is this lady just a bit bat shit or was it generally considered more welcome to offer 'advice' to strangers in previous generations

Well I'm assuming she's always been a bit of a twat.

People don't become pensioners and then all of a sudden turn into twats. Despite what people on Mumsnet try to portray all elderly people as.

I couldn't imagine my 78 year old mum dreaming of saying this to someone.

she was an interfering old bat

You sound delightful.

Eh? Who are you referring to?

You smile and wave, smile and wave...

My parents generation wrapped up babies and left them outside for hours down the bottom of the garden!!

Great, another ageist thread.

Yep. Ageism is rampant on here.

Thank you, I am.
Your 78 year old mum sounds delightful too....unfortunately the lady in the OP sounds like an interfering old bat.

It's not ageist to question whether it was more socially acceptable to offer advice to unknown people in previous years. For example when I travelled over to DH's home in Ireland for the first time, I experienced people being noticeably more open and friendly to strangers than in the UK. When I checked with DH whether this was the norm, I wasn't prejudiced against Irish people for experiencing this (albeit pleasant) surprise.

It happens. Just roll your eyes and ignore! Her opinion is of no consequence to you, nosy old bat 🙄

I had a similar experience when DS was a baby. He was born just before Christmas and I got a rollicking from an elderly lady for taking him out as I did a bit of last minute shopping. I think I said he was fine (he was) and he’s now 18 and loves nothing more than rolling around in glacial mud in a rugby pitch. He’s 6’2” and I don’t think I caused him any harm. 😂

Ah I wouldn't worry
This is the kind of thing that's so ridiculously stupid that you can't help laughing!

Why have you used the adjective ‘old’?
Why is everyone saying older, elderly, old bay…..I thought we were all supposed to be kind on this board.

Such kind words….maybe the ‘old bat’ might describe you as a young twat?

She might, but she would be wrong on both counts. 😁

Well if I am querying whether it was a norm of previous years/generations then what adjective should I use to describe the woman? Both 'young' and 'old' aren't slurs or offensive, surely it the context of use? Which I believe I wasn't being rude in my use of.

I used to get it quite often, my son hated socks and shoes (ASD) he would pull them off or would scream at the top of his lungs until they were removed, he was the same with blankets and hated it if we ever tried to use a rain cover over his pram.
I would get comments and tutting about how awful it was to have a child with no shoes on or rain cover etc but my son was happy and comfortable and the people commenting never saw his reactions or how distressed he was before removing the items.
At the time he was undiagnosed and we didn’t know it was all sensory related!

How would you describe someone older? The OP didn’t state if the woman was elderly, she just said an older woman, meaning someone older than herself?

I would question why some think the adjective 'old' is an insult?
That's quite insulting in itself....YOU will be old one day, if you are lucky.