Struggling parents know that meltdowns are a given with toddlers. And when your child is screaming, a kind word or an understanding look from a stranger is appreciated - but confrontations are not.
One woman shared one such dilemma on the internet. The mum relayed how another woman came up to her on the train and asked her crying child to be quiet because the other woman's baby was sleeping.
The poster was so baffled by the confrontation that she took to Mumsnet to ask others what they thought about the situation, the Mirror reported.
She wrote: "Yesterday I was coming home from a day out with my son, aged 3, on the train. We had been out all morning and he was in top form but by the time we got on the train, he was understandably tired.
"It was a modern train you can walk through with no doors and spacious, wide aisles but still some seats free and no one had to stand. My son was in the window seat and was standing up so I asked him to sit down and to keep him occupied I gave him my phone to watch a video on silent so as not to disturb the other passengers.
"When we were nearly at our stop, I asked for my phone to check the time of our connection and he proceeded to cry as he was watching a cartoon.
"A mum who was sat behind me heard all this and came to the aisle, bent down beside us, leaned in. I thought she was going to offer my son a toy or a sweet to cheer him up but instead and said, 'Do you think you could be quiet? My baby is asleep.'
"I told her in no uncertain terms that I would not be asking him to stop crying and that we have a baby at home too. She isn't the first person to have a baby asleep on public transport. She could easily have walked the baby in the buggy further down the train."
She concluded: "Am I being unreasonable to think that asking a toddler who is crying and having a tantrum to not cry is bats*** crazy?"
Her post received a mixed response, with some saying the other mum should've been more understanding, and others saying the Mumsnetter was unreasonable.
One wrote: "Wow! Hopefully one day - in about two or three years' time - she will realise what a t*** she was being!"
"You over-reacted", another wrote.
One suggested: "Not bats*** crazy. You just both seemed to think your child's needs trumped the others. Also, was he just crying or having a tantrum? There's a stark difference between the two. I feel crying to an extent could be tolerated. A tantrum shouldn't have to be by strangers and it's up to the parent to subdue it. Why were you just letting him cry in a public place?"
Another said the mum should've used the baby as a distraction, writing: "Huge overreaction - on your part. A stranger politely asking your son to stop crying and explaining why is fine. She may have been trying to help you. For all you know her baby could sleep through anything!
"If I was you I would have cheerfully said: 'Oh we don't want to wake the baby do we? Shall we quietly look at him sleeping in his pram?'"
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