A girl and her mom

Waiting at the bus stop one day not too long ago a woman arrived with her daughter in tow, perhaps 8-9-10 years old and wrapped in hat, scarf and winter coat and lugging what looked like a heavy little backpack and a gym bag. The mom was carrying three other bags (backpack, two cotton bags) and looked slightly stressed. After a while of discussions on what was or was not in one of the bags, the girls went back to where they had come from to retrieve said item. Arriving back lugging all the bags, the mother discussed their upcoming commitments and remembered that "your father", i.e. the girl's dad, hadn't filled in a second copy of a form for the girl's school. So, she pulled out her mobile, entered her (apparently) ex-lover's phone number and said, "You call your dad, and tell him that he should have filled it out a looong time ago! He never does what he has to, he is so irresponsible.".

This in itself made me uncomfortable, but the ensuing conversation, in which a young girl was made an instrument in her mother's poor communication with someone she had chosen to create a child with made me want to slap the mother. She told her exactly what to say, speaking the next point to make while the girl was speaking. The girl is becoming equipped be a very talented PA one day: multitasking, filtering information and dealing with a rubbish boss who makes unreasonable demands on her.

That a mother can be so insensitive to the effect her actions may have on the well-being of her own child is beyond me. Some people need to grow up and take responsibilities, and it's not the girl in this story.

Finally getting onto their bus the girl offered to carry one of the backpacks in addition to her gym bag. The mom responded, "No, no, that's fine darling, it's fine. I'm used to carrying all this stuff". You sure are. And so is your daughter. "Are you sure mom? I can, I really can take it!".