kids

How one comment from a stranger in the supermarket pushed a mother-of-two over the edge.

Last week, Taylor Myers was “that person”; the mum in the supermarket with the misbehaving child, who looked like she wasn’t doing anything about it.

The truth is that Myers’ four-year-old daughter Sophie has ADHD. So many times, Myers has left the supermarket when Sophie has begun acting up. This time, she didn’t. She stayed in line with a trolley full of groceries, and Sophie.

“Sophie sat/stood/did heads stands in the cart, whining over a bag of chips I took away… because she called me a butthole in line,” the US mum explained in a Facebook post.

Want more non-judgement parenting discussion? Listen to Mamamia’s parenting podcast This Glorious Mess.

“She’s relentless. I know this. I live with it.”

Myers ignored her daughter’s whining and refused to give in.

“What’s giving in to bad behaviour going to do but reinforce the bad behaviour?” she asked.

“I’ve walked out of stores hundreds of times because of her. Almost every time, actually, I end up leaving with nothing I came for and a tantrum-having four-year-old attached to my hand and a baby on my hip, but this time I had to stick it out to get the groceries.”

For the tenth time, she asked Sophie to sit down in the trolley so she wouldn’t fall over.

Taylor Myers posted the heartfelt plea for fellow mothers to be kind. (Image via Facebook.)

“The next thing I hear is a woman behind me in line saying, ‘Oh, for Christ's sake, give her a cookie so she'll shut up!’

“I could’ve explained to her that my four-year-old has pretty severe ADHD, I raise both my children alone, I’m doing my best, and had no choice but to wait it out for the groceries. Instead, I heard, ‘She's four years old and you need to mind your own f***ing business,’ come out of my mouth.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Myers left the line and walked over to the self-checkout, tears pouring down her face.

“I’ve lost it. I'm angry, my feelings are hurt, I'm offended, and I'm just freakin’ sad that I can't have one good experience in a store with my children.”

Then an angel came along, in the form of another mum who started chatting to Sophie to distract her, while supporting Myers’ decision not to let her have the chips.

“Honestly, this woman could've been the antichrist and I would've had more appreciation for her kindness and compassion than I have for anyone else I've ever encountered,” Myers added.

“It only takes one comment to break someone. You never know what someone's going through. You never know the problems a child has that causes them to misbehave, and unless you know the struggle of being a parent to a child like mine, you cannot judge me. But it also takes one small act of kindness to make a mama feel comfort and validation.

“Mamas have to stick together.”

Since Myers wrote about her experience on Facebook last week, her post has been liked more than half a million times.

“We have a child with mild autism and behavioural issues,” commented one mum. “I understand you completely. Just stick it out.”

A special education teacher posted that she knew what those meltdowns looked like. “We gotcha, girl. You are a good mother.”

A mother of a boy with ADHD and other disorders added her support.

“He is 17 now and I promise you it gets better. And you're right, we mums have to support one another and understand that just because our experiences differ, we just need to not be judged.”