Please Don't (touch the baby)!

[Mommel]

DS is now just over 8 weeks old, but he's a bit of a bruiser (i.e. huge for his age - he was a month overdue, after all) so I take him out fairly often and now that he holds his head up easily and can see further than a few feet out, I face him forward in the Moby as he seems to enjoy looking around. I took him to the grocery store with me today (a relatively vacant place on Black Friday) to buy a few essentials. I naturally received and returned lots of smiles because of him, some people more than others.

Then a woman approached us in passing and appeared to want to pinch or touch his face. Instinctively, I brushed her hand away, still smiling though, and said simply, "please don't" and kept passing her. At this point the woman started cursing at me, shouting that if I didn't want her to touch him that I should have covered him up!! Ummm... what??!! I was a tad freaked out, and just kept going. On my way out I saw her sitting on a bench outside next to a more obviously homeless person, and made up a quick story in my head about how she was likely more crazy than just rude, but even so... I forget that just because my city is particularly wonderful that it IS a city and as such harbors a wide variety of people, including crazies, rude people and a whole bunch of great people...

Anyone else encounter this type of situation? How did you deal with it? I mean, I'm not germ-phobic or anything. I don't actually mind people touching him most of the time, but only if they ask, and only if I say yes. Boundaries, people! Come on!

[whozeyermamma]

sounds like you handled it as best you could! Yikes! I would agree that she was a crazy ... I have a crazy lady who lives on my block and she's always asking if she can hold my DS and I'm like "oh no ... we have to get going ..."

I think it's a situation that won't likely repeat itself ...

[Thing1Thing2]

Never encountered anything like that, but I have to say you were very good in an intimidating situation.

I don't know how I would have handled that!

[DoubleDouble]

Wow, you have an excellent reaction time. I would have just stood there, stunned.

[mama1219]

I agree, great reaction time. I think you handled that so well!!!

[creddy]

Not only seriously impressive reaction-time; but also, I thought I'd second your thought about how you never know who/what people are by sharing a quick, but gross (so be warned) story:

Outside a Panera a few weeks ago there was a man who I first saw waving his hands out for donations like he was blind. My mommy instinct told me he likely wasn't blind, and/or we shouldn't get too close. So I listened to it, and later when inside (sitting at a window seat to wait for my husband) I saw the guy rubbing ointment on his **you know what** with clear pleasure - right there on the sidewalk...(I very nearly threw up).  He then went right back to his previous waving hands motion.  So glad I listened to my intuition.

So, serrrrriously - even though you (nor I) would not call ourselves germaphobic - with strangers you can never be too careful; because, you may NEVER know (or in my case, would never have wanted to know) where a stranger's hands have been!!

[Mommel]

Originally Posted by creddy 

Not only seriously impressive reaction-time; but also, I thought I'd second your thought about how you never know who/what people are by sharing a quick, but gross (so be warned) story:

Outside a Panera a few weeks ago there was a man who I first saw waving his hands out for donations like he was blind. My mommy instinct told me he likely wasn't blind, and/or we shouldn't get too close. So I listened to it, and later when inside (sitting at a window seat to wait for my husband) I saw the guy rubbing ointment on his **you know what** with clear pleasure - right there on the sidewalk...(I very nearly threw up).  He then went right back to his previous waving hands motion.  So glad I listened to my intuition.

So, serrrrriously - even though you (nor I) would not call ourselves germaphobic - with strangers you can never be too careful; because, you may NEVER know (or in my case, would never have wanted to know) where a stranger's hands have been!!

Ewwwwwwww!! 

Good call on the intuition, mama!!