Today is Mother’s Day, a day where we celebrate our moms and mother figures as well as a day where moms and mother figures reflect on the relationships they have with their children and those they regard as children. Which brings me to a story.

Today, I was in a checkout line in a grocery store. There was a woman behind me with two young kids. The store was busy and crowded, but that wasn’t unexpected for a Sunday afternoon. I heard the woman behind me say presumable to both her kids, “If you bump into that woman in front of you in line, I will leave you in the parking lot.” I didn’t hear the kids respond in any way, and since they were behind me, I couldn’t see their reactions, either. But I did kind of shake my head and roll my eyes as I thought to myself, “What a nasty thing to say to your child.” Then one of them must have come close to bumping into me because I heard the mom say, “That’s it. Move over here.” I heard a child’s voice then but couldn’t make out what was said. But the next thing I heard was the mom saying, “You know what, just go find another mom.” I was shocked, disgusted, and saddened.

I will fully admit, I didn’t say anything to the mom. I didn’t know what exactly to say. I had no idea how to say, “What the hell is wrong with you? Today is Mother’s Day and this is how you speak to your kids? You are a disgusting specimen of a mother.”

Should I have said something or done something? Examine your own mind and heart, and honestly, honestly, what would you have done? Would you have just been disgusted and silent like I was? Or would you have spoken up? If so, what would you have said or done? I guess I’m trying to figure out what my course of action should be if I ever encounter this situation again.