A stranger asked to hold my baby and I let her! (Kinda long)

[skuttle]

I feel like such an awful mom.

Saturday was the first LSU game of the season, so of course we were out on campus around noon to start tailgating. DS (2 months old tomorrow ) was with us for a few hours and then my mom was going to bring him back to our house later in the afternoon (she came up here to watch him while we went to the game...what a great grandma!).

Anyways...of course my cute-as-can-be DS dressed in his little LSU outfit got lots of attention from people passing by. There was a group of people tailgating next to us and when they arrived the two women came up to me and admired DS (I was holding him). We did NOT know these people.

Well...a little while later the woman came back and said she just had to come see the baby again and asked if she could "take him". I just looked at her and I asked, "You want to take him?" She said, "I want to hold him. I'll stand right here." Then she reached down and I gave her my DS to hold! I don't know what I was thinking. DH just looked at me like I was nuts. I was in such shock that she actually asked to hold DS...I just didn't know what to say...and for some reason I didn't want to be rude and say no. She just really shocked me. I still can't believe I did that! It was such a strange experience!

If it happens again, at least I'll be prepared and say DS is sick or something. I feel so awful!

 

[janette]

You are not an awful mom, I'd never ask a stranger if I could hold their baby. I will sometimes smile at them in the store but even then I'm careful. My youngest liked very few people and if people looked at her she'd sometimes cry, if they touched her she'd scream! I had several remark that she didn't like to be talked to she just gave them her look most of the time.

A polite "I'd prefer not!" is sufficient in those circumstances if someone asks. Some people just love to hold babies and that's okay but they really shouldn't be accosting strangers. She needs to go volunteer at a nursery.

 

[Michelle]

Skuttle, by no means are you an awful mom.

I LOVE babies, I'm great with babies, I want to hold babies, but I would never, EVER ask a stranger to hold his/her baby. I think this lady just got a little carried away with your adorable son.

Now you know just to politely decline with whatever excuse makes you comfortable, unless it is someone that you WANT to hold your child.

 

[delswife]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to giggle, but I am.
Two months old tommorrow, huh? Well, I just hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here I go.
You have just experienced your first of thousands of "OHMYGAWDWHATHAVEIJUSTDONETOMYCHILD" moments. I too, have doen such a thing. When oldest DD was a newborn we took her shopping. My ex went to the second level of the store and I waited at the bottom of the stairs. This sweet, small, older lady came over and took her out of my arms to rock her. (she was screaming bloody murder, the baby not the old lady) I just let her. My ex came downstairs and looked at me in the same way yours did, I'm sure. I was just as stunned as you were.

Of course, that was 17 years ago, and that is only one of thousands of "things I cannot believe I did" minutes. Wanna hear the story of when I zipped my DS "little friend" in his jammies?

Your not an awful mom, your a new mom. You will get the hang of it.

 

[LadyAurora]

You are just a trusting person, not an awful Mom. I was born in October, and when my mother went to vote the next month, the ladies at the polling place held me while she voted. Of course, that was thirty years ago! But anyway, now you know what you will say if you are put in that situation again. There's a first time for everything.

 

[WDWFOREVER]

Delswife - I laughed out loud when I read your post! It reminded me of something I did to my DS when he was about 9 months old. He had a dummy (comforter) and we used to pin it on his clothes with a little bulldog clipper. As I was getting him ready to go out one day I pinned it on and he started screaming. As I wasn't getting a great deal of sleep (he was a difficult baby) my normally placid personality mutated into "what is the matter with you now?!" As I picked him up from his stroller I realised what I had done. His poor little chest had a red mark and my DH has never let me forget it to this day and DS is nearly 10!

 

[snoopy]

Awwww, you aren't a bad Mommy!

I did the same thing when my oldest was a baby. We were at Motor Vehicles getting DH's driver's license renewed. He was in line waiting, and I was sitting in a chair waiting for him, with the baby in a carseat. Some woman started talking to me and cooing over the baby and asked if she could hold him. Unlike you, I had no reservations, LOL! I just let her hold him! DH came FLYING out of the line and told the lady we don't allow people to hold our baby. OMG, I was soooooo embarrassed! He was so angry, he lectured me the whole way home about crazy people. I never saw the big deal, since I was sitting RIGHT THERE and she would have had to kill me to harm the baby, but he is my cynical other half.

BTW, another stranger ended up holding my second son, when we were in WDW. She was an old woman that we met, 94 years old. We were waiting for the fireworks on the Poly beach, and he was fussing and she asked if she could hold him. This time DH was fine with it, I don't know if its because we were having a conversation with this person, or the fact that she was 94 years old! In any case, she comforted the baby and he stopped crying, I sketched a picture of them right then and there, and ended up painting that likeness, which now hangs over our fireplace. It was a circle of life moment that I won't forget.

Sorry for the long post, but I could relate, Skuttle! Take care of that sweet baby, and in the future, if you & DH are uncomfortable, just tell the person that. Anyone who doesn't understand isn't worth worrying about.

 

[Zurg]

I trust there is an exemption for Uncle Zurgie.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

oh I can so relate.

When Brett was born back in January I had a really hard time keeping people away from him and their hands off of him. I honestly wasn't worried so much about crazy people as germs and viruses.

It's the middle of February people and he's a NEWBORN - STEP AWAY FROM THE BABY PLEASE!


You really do have to develop a streak of rudeness at times.

 

[webprinter]

I did the same thing with my daughter. We were in CA and some Japanese people asked to take a picture with her in it and without thinking, I handed her over. It happens. All was well.

 

[skuttle]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has let a stranger hold her baby. I know this is only the first of many "OMG what have I done" moments concerning Colin. LOL!

And Uncle Zurgie, of course there is an exception for you...and all the other DISer's as well...y'all aren't strangers, just people I haven't had the chance to meet in person yet.

 

[Zurg]

Originally posted by skuttle
And Uncle Zurgie, of course there is an exception for you...and all ...y'all aren't strangers

just STRANGE

lol