Fancy Department Store Gives Mom The Boot After Her Toddler Throws A Tantrum
Toddler’s tantrum gets her mom thrown out of a department store
We’ve all been the parent with the loud, tantruming toddler at the store. It’s a humiliating situation to be in, but it’s not nearly as bad as what happened to one UK mom, who says her toddler’s fit in the middle of a crowded department store actually got them kicked out.
Lauren Robinson was shopping at high-end English department store John Lewis, when her 16-month-old, Heidi, became inconsolable. Apparently, Heidi only recently learned to walk, and when her mom tried to put her in a walking harness and take away her precious freedom, she went full-toddler. The 36-year-old tells The Independent, “I was trying to put the harness back on and Heidi was loud and vocal. I was trying to do my best to calm her down, and get her harness on so she didn’t crawl off.”
Robinson eventually got Heidi settled, but says almost immediately a store employee approached and told her, “I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint, you’ll have to leave.” The mom and daughter were then allegedly escorted from the store. Robinson called in a complaint to the store’s customer service department and was offered an apology and a $30 voucher, but she says she still won’t be going back.
“I am not interested in any voucher or money,” she explains. “My point is that when shops see a mother trying to deal with a child having a tantrum they should cut them a bit of slack. I was made to feel like a rubbish mum. It was very embarrassing. Everyone was looking at me.”
In a statement, a John Lewis representative said they’re investigating the incident and can’t confirm Robinson was actually escorted out. Either way, they’ve offered her an official apology and say they’re training employees on how to better handle these situations in the future.
Everyone hates being that parent. There’s not a mom or dad in the world who enjoys their kids’ tantrums or feels like strangers should be subjected to the yelling, screaming, crying, and just generally nightmarish behavior our kids sometimes inflict upon us.
That said, shit happens. Tantrums aren’t a sign of a bad child or poor parenting. They’re just a toddler’s natural response to boundaries, and parents deal with it the best way they can. Unless someone is being truly negligent and just letting their kids wail for 40 minutes, there’s no reason to throw them out of a store.
In an ideal world, kids would behave perfectly from birth and we’d never have to inconvenience others with the crummier parts of teaching a baby how to be a functional human being. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Kids are going to act out. We have to accept that sometimes tantrums happen, and cut parents a little slack.
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