Mum is left shocked when a stranger exclaims 'thank God you're leaving'
Molly England thought she was doing the right thing by spending her day with her children at a museum.
It was much-needed family time, but the drive was miles out in Houston, nonetheless she persevered and hit the road with her three kids.
Heading for the Museum of Fine Arts, the mum was just as excited as the children, as they were about to spend their Sunday having fun, but learning all at the same time.
"It was time to inject some culture and structured activities into our carefree summer. There was a special interactive exhibit that I knew the kids would love, and every Sunday the museum has family zone, which is always great."
And the mum was spot on, the kids were thrilled. They had a wonderful time exploring the wonders of technology, art and culture, but when it was 'time to leave' her eldest wanted to explore a little more.
Being four in the afternoon, Molly knew that her children would be tired, especially her three-year-old who skipped her nap time, so there was a chance a meltdown was on the cards.
But mum guilt was also in the pipeline; after driving all that way and taking into consideration the learning experience they just had, she felt bad saying no to her eldest.
"Although I knew we should go, I couldn't resist her plea to stay. I decided we’d go to the museum cafe for a snack and then continue exploring the museum."
Nonetheless, that was to be the end of the happy family day out.
Mum ordered cake in the cafe for her children, went to sit at the fountain and eat. Her three-year-old girl was adamant that she could eat with her fingers, dropping her cake to the ground, crying.
"Even over the gush of the fountain, her crying pierced the other patrons’ ears. The tantrum escalated."
Begging her youngest to stop crying, her seven-year-old took the time to explain to Mum that people were staring.
Failing to please her three-year-old, Molly gave up, taking the tot and attempting to leave, but what happened in the next sixty seconds was enough to make the mum-of-three feel defeated.
"My five and seven-year-old trailed behind as we almost walked into an older lady standing between the stairs to exit and us. She looked me in the eye and said, 'Oh, thank G-d you're leaving'.”
"I moved past her and then paused. I doubled back, looked into her cold eyes, and then I looked at her friend as she shook her head. I looked back at her and quavered with rage, 'Are you kidding me?!'
She simply replied, 'No, I'm glad you're leaving'.”
Storming off to the car, Mum loaded up and drove home in eerie silence as her three-year-old slept soundly.
"I grappled with whether our blissful afternoon was real or not. I couldn't reconcile the two experiences. It felt like our joyful time was a lie now that we'd experienced such upset."
Mum admits that when she went to bed later that night, she thought this was her fault, she shouldn't have brought the kids to a museum of all places:
"My unruly kids belonged back home where they were safe to throw tantrums without fear of judgement from strangers; back home where I could avoid the harsh gaze of people who think they know better than me."
Nonetheless, Molly woke up with a fresh outlook on life the next day; her kids experienced a wonderful exhibit and 'family time', but Mum also learned that just like a doctor practises medicine, she too practises 'parenting'.
"I'm not perfect, and that’s how I learn."
Well, we think you're doing a fantastic job Mum, kids will be kids, and we totally agree that this stranger was just plain rude.