The Library

I have carried or dragged enough screaming kids out of public places that you would think I would be immune to it with my own child.  Well, not so my friends, not so.

There are cards you can make up if you have a child with autism and pass them out to strangers in restaurants or museums so they will stare sympathetically instead of judgingly.  These cards say something like, "my child has autism and some behaviors you can expect are..."  Today at the library I needed a card that said, "my child is 16 months and some behaviors you can expect are kicking, screaming, rolling around on the floor, and throwing books."

I think of myself as a good parent.  I'm not much of a pushover and it takes a lot to fluster me, but being tracked down by the librarian (carrying a walky-talky) and asked in a hushed tone if "everything was all right" is about my limit.  I snapped that my child was having a temper tantrum, and with as much dignity as a person carrying a toddler in a bear suit can muster, I went off in search of my husband.

I think because I work with children with such significant behavior problems I live in dread of my own child's misbehavior.  I'm constantly checking books to find out what exactly constitutes normal toddler behavior.  My perspective is a little whack, so I just want to be sure.  It turns out that "normal toddler behavior" might be a little elusive.  Either way, I'm pretty sure, my best days of carrying screaming children (my own or otherwise) are still ahead of me.