OP (Original Poster) was enjoying her break from work when a random woman asked her for a favor. She refused, saying she needed to return to work, but the stranger wasn’t happy with her response!
A Quick Lunch Break
OP is a 26-year-old who worked at a store in a local neighborhood. One day, she was sitting on a bench finishing her lunch break when a random woman approached her.
A Mom and Her Toddler
The woman sat next to her on the bench, and she had a toddler in a stroller. At first, she didn’t mind it; OP thought the mom was just resting.
A Huge Favor
However, as OP was getting up to walk away, the mom stopped her in her tracks.
She asked OP, “Excuse me, could you just watch my child for two minutes whilst I pop into the shop? It’s really hard to get the buggy in there.”
No Can Do
OP was sympathetic toward the mom. However, she was still at work, and her lunch break was almost over.
So, she replied, “Sorry, I’m just going back to work, but this is a fairly safe area. Maybe you can keep the buggy outside and bring him in with you? The shopkeeper would keep an eye on the buggy through the window.”
A Mean Glint in Her Eyes
At this, the woman stared at OP and started talking to her in a “really mean tone.”
She said, “But you only work just next door. I can tell from your lanyard. It only takes a couple of minutes.”
I Really Can’t
Unfortunately, OP had only two minutes left on her break. Before she could even reply to the mom, she told OP, “You probably would have upset him anyway with the state of you.”
Walking Away
OP was upset at what the mom said. However, she didn’t bother arguing with her.
She just walked away, but what the stranger said made her “feel like crap.”
I Would if I Could
In her post, OP said she would never have hesitated to help out if only she didn’t have to return to work yet.
OP wrote, “On top of this, I would have genuinely not minded helping if it wasn’t for the fact that I’d have someone breathing down my neck for being late off break.”
A Safe Area
OP also noted that their area was relatively safe, so the mom shouldn’t have had problems leaving her child’s stroller outside.
She said, “I know the shopkeeper and the area well and have seen countless people leave pushchairs, mobility scooters, etc., outside.”
Redditors’ Reactions
For users, it was crazy how a mom would be so open to trusting their child with a stranger. Some also noted how wrong it was for her to insult OP.
“It seems so odd that a mom would ask a stranger to watch her child like that. But you got to love the insult at the end, which makes the request even stranger. To me, you did the right thing here,” a top commenter said.
We Don’t Understand!
People are scared for the mom’s child. They started thinking about all sorts of scenarios wherein her request could have gone wrong.
This user said, “I will never understand people that do this with their kids. It only takes about 10 seconds for a child to get abducted. Why on earth would you purposely leave your child with a complete stranger on the street? Some people aren’t fit to be parents.”
Another woman pointed out, “That’s pretty crazy that she would ask a random stranger to watch her child, and I’m sure it would have been longer than just two minutes.”
Ulterior Motives
Some Redditors noted that there was a possibility the mom wanted to leave her child permanently.
One Redditor wrote, “It crossed my mind that had OP agreed to watch the kid for a few minutes, Mommy Dearest would have gone in the shop, asked to use the facilities, and disappeared out the back.”
Double Standards
The community also pointed out the double standards that exist in society when it comes to men and women.
“Obviously, only men are capable of being a threat to kids. See a guy sitting on a bench eating lunch? Chase him off by threatening to call the cops. See a woman sitting on a bench eating lunch? Free babysitter,” noted one user.
A Bad Parent
Redditors also didn’t fail to call the mom out for inconsistent statements.
This person wrote, “So she would have a total stranger watch her child, but at the same time, she claims to have a problem with ‘the state of you?’ That’s some weird logic right there. You even were helpful with your suggestions, and she still insulted you. I hope her kid won’t pick up her manners.”
Another said, “You dodged a bullet. Who knows how long she would’ve been gone or what she would’ve accused you of when she came back!”
What do you think about OP’s interaction with this stranger? Is the mom fit to be a parent?
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This post first appeared as An Entitled Woman Suddenly Approached Her and Asked Her to Keep an Eye on Her Toddler So She Can Go Shopping. She Refused and Got Insulted in Public! on Quote Ambition.
