Nella Vita di Crazy Parents

So for our Valentines 'date,' Shane and I went ice skating.  It's something we've wanted to do since we met, but since we rarely have time during the week or weekends when we are both off it hasn't happened.  Needless to say it was tons of fun and so nice to actually spend an afternoon like a 20 something engaged couple should.  

While we were there though, I saw some parenting behavior that just made me so disgusted.  Usually I'm not the type of person to judge or criticize someone's parenting skills.  For one I am not a parent so who am I to say anything.  For two, that's just not the type of person I am.   I'm much more anything goes, to each their own, and que sera sera.  But the bottom line is I've been reading parenting books and magazines since before I could even physically have a baby, have spent a great deal of time with kids of all ages through personal life, work, and volunteering.  Plus I have common sense.  

That being said, why the hell would you take your toddler ice skating?  This little girl was probably a year and a half, maybe just pushing two.  Walking is a skill that has been barely mastered and for some reason this mother thought that she could handle gliding through ice on shoes with razors on the bottom.  I can totally understand wanting to expose kids to new things while they are young and all of that, but I mean really.  The little girl was completely using buckets to hold herself up while her mom held her diaper and pushed her forward.  So pretty much the mom was pushing the freaked out child while causing her a wedgie at the same time.  And to make matters worse they were right in the middle of the lane where the fast skaters were, forcing them to skate around them and causing people to crash into each other.  I was so disgusted and livid that someone could be so thoughtless and execute poor judgement.  I don't believe in violence or hitting, especially of children, but I must admit I was tempted to skate blades first into the little girl, just so I could teach her mother the lesson that an ice rink is no place for a toddler and if you don't want your precious future figure skater to lose a finger you had better at least move over to the edge of the rink.