"Momma, he said I am a baby..."

she whined as she came walking dejectedly toward me from the jungle gym.

"Well, ARE you a baby? " I asked.

"No."

"Well then, what does it matter? If he can't see that you are most definitely NOT a baby, if he can't see that you don't crawl around wearing diapers and drooling, then he obviously has limited mental capabilities. Now go play."

It is hard to take insults from other children sometimes, to be able to look at the situation objectively and really see what is going on. It is hard to do as an adult at times also, but the best way to teach your children is by example.

So, when the crazed lady came up to Mister and I at McDonald's the other night, spewing insults about how fat and ugly I am and how Mister is obviously controlled by me, and how I really need to get to Jenny Craig because don't I know how fat and ugly I am?? (all because I dared to come up to her and interrupt her conversation with a man to tell her one of her four children who she'd left unattended in the play area for over an hour, was now BITING the other children in there, mine included), Mister and I just stared at her. We stared and stared, then started grinning as we watched her get more and more upset because no matter what insult she threw at us she got absolutely no response. No sucking in of air, no flicker of rage on the face, nothing... except for a couple of squinty eyes and a slow smile.

After what seemed like 10 minutes she finally gave up on her tirade and marched out of there, stopping to tell the father of the other bitten child to stay the expletive out if it, White Boy (which was not exactly an insult, as he WAS white... and so was she).

Later G told me, "Momma, that lady MUST have been mentally challenged. You're not fat. You're not ugly. Why was she so mad anyway?"

I told G that that lady was probably just embarrassed about her child's behavior and didn't know what to do about it, so she decided to yell. So silly, huh, G? Yes, she said. Maybe she needs to go see that lady Jenny Craig.

Maybe, indeed.