We met Ursula today at the beach!

We took the kids to the beach today for some fun and sun.  The kids were having a blast-  Sam, Michael and Molly were playing in the water, and Ben was building sandcastles and smashing them with his monster trucks.  Then there was a blissful moment when all were playing in the sand nicely together and Chris and I actually got to sit down and watch.  Ben spotted a flock of seagulls and started chasing after them and yelling.  He did it twice.  Then this lovely lady yells at us "would you please make him stop yelling and chasing the birds?"  To which my wonderfully calm husband said "he's three!"  The lady then proceeds to tell us that she didn't act that way when she was three, she was well behaved because her parents wouldn't let her behave like that.  Me, being an occupational therapist and knowing how children *should* behave at every age said, "he's three and he's at the beach, this is exactly how he should be behaving."  She then had the nerve to say "he's acting like he's retarded is how he's behaving."  Now I was just dumbfounded that someone could be so insensitive and cruel (to a three year old nonetheless) but Chris once again calmly said "that's just not nice to say to anyone" and she stammered out "oh, so now I have to be politically correct?"  It's at this point that we decided that it wasn't worth it to get into an argument with an idiot.  After all, we had four kids that we were trying to set a GOOD example for.  I thought of quite a few politically incorrect things that I could have said to her, but didn't want to go there.

You know what irritates me about this situation the most?  Well, I guess there are a few things.  Really, I get it, you are old and crotchety and want peace and quiet.  Then don't come the the beach and surround yourself by a bunch of families.  Guess what?  Kids?  Outside?  In the summer?  That is EXACTLY how they should behave.  They should explore, and have fun, and chase birds, splash in the waves, and get sandy.  So what if they are a little loud?  They are outside, it's not like they are sitting next to you at the library or in a restaurant.  Now a days, kids spend enough time sitting at desks, sitting in the car, sitting while their siblings are at an extracurricular activity, sitting at the doctors office.  All the while they are expected to be quiet and well behaved.    Little boys (and girls for that matter) need to get that energy out sometime!  

Then there is the fact that she was name calling with a THREE year old. A name, as a therapist, that makes me absolutely cringe.   Luckily sweet Ben was oblivious to the whole thing and had never even heard the word, so he could care less.  But who knows what other families were sitting around us, that maybe would get their feelings hurt.  You don't have to be politically correct, but how about a nice human being?  We had a nice talk about the incident on the way home with the big kids, about how even though she was being mean, what was more important was the way that we responded to her.  We didn't have to be mean back.

And you know what?  On the way back to the car?  The kids chased a crab.  So take THAT grumpy old sea bitch witch.