Parents allowing their children to ruin a vibe
This morning I woke up early to get to a new, local bakery that just opened up in town to grab some breakfast and read my book. I was there for about 10 minutes and it was so calm and pleasant... until this family of 4 walked in.
The older kid (probably 2? Maybe 3?) almost immediately started shrieking. Then the baby (in a MASSIVE stroller btw) started crying. It's only a 3 day old bakery, so the line was long. I'm sitting at a table with my coffee and pastry, wishing I had brought headphones, confused why these people aren't just leaving when both of their children are having full-blown meltdowns. The mom made minimal effort to calm down her kid. She was just going up to the little boy's face and going "shhh now, shhh" it was so bizarre. The dad did absolutely nothing. I saw people in line visibly wincing at the sudden, high pitched "AHHHH!!!" that was happening and making eye contact with each other.
I know I should have left, but I was meeting a friend and didnt want to switch up locations on her last minute. The family still didn't leave, didn't get their order to go, snagged a table because the patrons are fleeing, the toddler is still throwing a fit, the baby is still crying, and the parents are taking up extra space with the spaceship of a stroller and just watching their kids completely ruin the entire atmosphere. My friend shows up and I tell her we gotta go and that I can't stay in there anymore because I'm getting a headache. The mom overhears and makes a face at me?? Like lady, I feel for you and your bad life choices but why are you putting innocent people through this on a Saturday morning??!