Seriously, why do people think they need to step in and discipline my kids? A word of warning to all of you folks out there - if I'm in the middle of chastening them, or if I am standing right there and think they are safe, then I don't need you to step up and be the mom. If you want to be the mom, go have kids of your own.

Last week, no less than three people thought they needed to interfere with my kids. My six year old was playing with our baby in a way that was perfectly safe - she wasn't hurting her, she was tickling. The baby was sitting in a car seat at my feet, and I was keeping an eye on my oldest to make sure she wasn't too rough. Suddenly this old woman starts shouting across the room at my daughter to leave the baby alone.

A few minutes later, as I was discipling that same daughter for something (actually, it was for rudely telling the aforementioned woman that it was our baby, not hers; I agreed with my daughter but not with the rudeness), another woman told me in front of my child that there wasn't a problem and I should let her be.

As though the pot weren't already simmering enough, my four year old son was crawling in the hallways and almost tripped someone. I pulled him out of the way and started lecturing him on being careful. Someone else came up and started yelling at him, too. I suppose I needed to start screaming at my kids to make them all feel better. Granted, it was not right for my child to nearly trip someone - but I was handling the situation.

In every one of these cases, the situation was well in hand. I was taking care of my child. I was not abusing them, screaming at them, or threatening them with bodily harm - situations where perhaps you ought to step in. I was teaching them, or I was supervising them. I don't need help; if I did, I would ask for it. So where do people get off thinking that I need them to run interference for me? And even better, where do they get off telling me that I don't need to instruct or teach my child?

If you know so well how to raise kids, go raise some of your own. I will raise mine the way I best see fit. If I say to myself, wow, all her kids are angels! and ask you for advice, feel free to offer it. Otherwise, butt out and back off.

Didn't you ever see what happens when someone gets between Mama Bear and her cubs?

About the Author

Nola Redd is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. Check out her short stories in her Writing.com portfolio.