This Woman Wonders If She Overstepped By Confronting A Stranger’s Rude Teenage Son
“It just came out of me. I didn't even consciously decide to say something.”
We’ve all been there. Maybe you were enjoying a stroll in the park or an errand run in Costco when you were stopped in your tracks — you’ve just heard the most jaw-dropping, utterly rude comment from a child to their parent.
Most of us would probably do our best to stay out of it, maybe at most offering a sympathetic look to the offended parent. But recently one woman decided enough was enough and took it a step further — and now she wants to know if she crossed the line.
Andrea Krystal posted a video to TikTok explaining the situation. While perusing jewelry in a Nordstrom Rack, another woman shopping near her struck up conversation. They chatted politely, until the woman’s teenage son showed up.
“He looked like he was about 16 or so. He comes over and he has his arms full of stuff,” she said. “It's clearly stuff that looks like it's for him. He's got sneakers. He made out that day.”
Now, many of us would be perfectly content to wander Nordstrom Rack with a massive haul of our finds, but apparently, this boy was not. According to Andrea, he was “moaning and groaning,” asking his mother to leave the store, and complaining when she explained she wanted to find a ring for herself.
“It was getting under my freaking skin,” Andrea admitted. “Time to just shop for yourself is such a gift.”
The other woman tried to laugh it off, but when her son kept pushing, something in Andrea made her speak up.
“It just came out of me. I didn't even consciously decide to say something, but I said, ‘Here's an idea. Why don't you take a slow lap around the store and give your mom some space so that she can actually get something for herself now, because it looks like you got a whole lot of stuff for yourself,” she said.
Mic drop.
Andrea explained that, thankfully, the boy’s mom wasn’t upset with her for telling him off. But, she was still a little nervous that she had overstepped by saying anything at all.
The comments, however, heavily agreed that she was in the right.
“This is the kind of overstepping that is literally almost always welcome. (always IMO actually...)” one user wrote.
“THANK YOU, My son is horrible to me sometimes. and I get it. but dang it would be nice that a Stranger Checks him on his Attitude. 😏” said another.
“you were not wrong. it takes a village to raise a child and you were being a part of the village. you didn't yell, you weren't unkind, you just reaffirmed what through mom needed,” another added.
However, a few users pointed out that, as a casual bystander, you might be intervening when you don’t understand the full picture.
“I corrected a mom friends child once that was being horrid to his mom. I found out later he has Asperger's & she was managing his behavior in a way to prevent a meltdown. Now I mind my own business,” one said.
Perhaps there’s no one-size-fits-all answer... but, it’s sure nice to know that there are people out there willing to stand up for exhausted moms!
