https://ricochet.com/a-white-house-tantrum/ Your Most Embarrassing Parenting Moment?
Jon Gabriel, Ed.
May 22, 2015 at 3:48 pm ( 47 minutes ago )
The Moser family had a rare opportunity to visit the White House and meet President Obama. In what must be every politically[float=right]
[/float] connected parent’s worst nightmare, their toddler chose that once-in-a-lifetime moment to fall on the floor and throw a tantrum.
The image began attracting attention when the girl’s uncle, a columnist for the New York Times, posted it to his Twitter account.
As the parent of two girls, I have suffered my share of public meltdowns and the dirty looks from strangers. The businessman loudly grumbling “oh, great” when I walked down an airplane aisle only to park my crying infant behind him. The mean girls at the college coffeehouse rolling their eyes as my toddler rolled on the floor between tables. The haughty Vacation Bible School parents scandalized that instead of singing “This Little Light of Mine,” my kid glared at the audience as she yawned and picked her nose.
Most parents of older kids are quick to give sympathetic looks to the family dealing with such embarrassments. We’ve all been there. I’m just thankful no White House photographers were present to capture my kids’ less than precious moments.
What mortified me more than kiddie tantrums were when my child innocently said something completely inappropriate. One December day, I had to bring my precocious four-year-old daughter to get her blood drawn. We walked into the overcrowded waiting room to find only one seat available, so she sat on my lap.
Being filled with the Christmas spirit, she marveled at the artificial tree and the cheap lights hanging hither and yon. Then she looked at the kindly man next to me, a Sikh sporting a magnificent beard and a traditional white turban. Her mouth dropped open and a huge smile appeared. In a voice so loud it hurt my ears she yelled, “Look, Daddy! A WISE MAN!”
As the Sikh gentleman and I stared at each other for a second of stunned silence, a nurse called our name and I grabbed my daughter’s hand. As we rushed to the lab room, my daughter yelled, “HE’S COOL!” To this day, I hope that guy realizes that was the greatest compliment she could have given him.
I want to know when your child utterly mortified you. Deliver your most embarrassing anecdotes, Ricochetti.
