Frith O’Steen

Next time you see me, I’ll  be bob bob bobbin’ along, b/c I got my hair cut (finally! The last time was in April!). I think it threw Decker off for a bit, but he soon adjusted and settled for pulling on the shorter ‘do just as well as he had on my pigtails. (Note: he’s not being naughty, but he likes to brush my hair and still hasn’t quite learned what ‘too hard’ means!).

On Saturday Sean and little guy and I headed over to the Pleasant Hill Farmer’s Market, to see my friend Erin and hear her boyfriend Scott’s acoustic duo perform. They are called ‘Acoustic S & M”, and they were really good! Fun times had by all. Sean and Decker wandered around the pond for a while, and I got to catch up with Erin. A nice way to spend a leisurely morning!

On Sunday it was my mom’s birthday, so me and Decker joined the Jacob crew and headed on out to Half Moon Bay for the day. The weather was gorgeous (I love September in California!) and we had a really fun time at the beach! My dad said that if you dig a hole, you can keep a toddler occupied for a good long while. Kudos to my sisters for finding Decker a hole, and then hanging out with him while he played in said hole. Good times, good times.

And…I want to add that there are nice people out there in addition to the idiots who give unwarranted parenting advice. Yesterday at the grocery store, I was struggling with a grocery cart, a squirmy toddler, and a rather severe grade in the parking lot (so the cart was trying to roll downhill). A very nice man stopped and helped hold the cart steady so I could get Decker in the seat. Thank you, nice man! That was cool.

Well, at least it always seems that way to me in September! Almost like the world is being filmed in a sepia filter, like in “O Brother Where Art Thou”?. Anyway - fall is here and I can’t believe how quickly the summer went by. The air is definitely colder at night, and I’m in the mood to chop up veggies and make a nice big pot o’ lentil soup. I can’t be fooled quite yet - mother nature I’m sure still has some hot days up her sleeve. But it is nice to start thinking autumnal type thoughts at the very least.

Looking forward to the season premiere of “Lost”, and the upcoming movie season! Not looking forward to shorter daylight hours and wearing long pants!

Yesterday, my son threw a tantrum. We’re talking an armageddon-level fit that included screaming and clinging and wrestling with his mommy. Decker does not generally throw tantrums, and has never thrown one of this level and magnitude and length - at least, not in public. Trying the best I could to remove him from the public realm, and to help him calm down (he was so over the top that you could tell he was freaking himself out by how out of control he was), I took away from where people were, to the parking lot. I held him close and was rocking and trying to soothe him and essentially flying by the seat of my pants with this very new and unusual (for Decker) behavior.

In the midst of this, a man on a bike appears out of nowhere and starts telling my mom and sister (who were with me) that Decker is very distressing and that this was unaccepatable. Big mistake! I took Decker even further away in the parking lot (so it would echo less), and mom disappears with the stroller. She comes back about 10 minutes later and I find out that she trailed the guy down, cornered him, and gave him a piece of her mind! Don’t mess with the mama of the mama! You will regret it!

So…what is my public service announcement? If you see a woman with a screaming toddler, who is CLEARLY trying to do everything she possibly can to deal with the situation, and CLEARLY has gone as far away from the general public as she can, and you have absolutely no connection with this woman or child WHATSOEVER (ie: you are not a husband/father, grandparent, auntie/uncle): SHUT THE HECK UP AND KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF. If you find yourself annoyed or feeling judgmental of this woman, stop and reflect for a second. Perhaps instead of voiccing your irritation and exacerbating the situation with unsolicited and unhelpful criticism, try to feel a little sympathy and go along your way and let them be. Two year olds are expected to lack control over their emotions and actions - it’s inexcusable in an adult.

This also goes for making comments about children’s apparel, names, speech and mobility development, and toy preference.

Thank you for your time. Remember - if you choose not to heed the above advice, I’ll send my mom after you! The little ones are mean!