From Slate Magazine · Jamilah Lemieux · · 1m 20s
A baby pulled off a wig. Now who owes an apology?
A 14-month-old yanked off a great aunt's wig at a party, and the fallout landed on the mother.
In brief
A 14-month-old yanked off a great aunt's wig at a party, and the fallout landed on the mother. Apologize when your kid hurts someone, even accidentally. It costs you nothing and it is not an admission of bad parenting. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
The aunt and her secret
Matt's great aunt Judy is completely bald and deeply sensitive about it. She wears a wig and nobody in the family treats it as a topic.
“bald as a billiard ball and incredibly sensitive about it”
One grab, one party
During a visit with neighbors over, 14-month-old Mandy reached up and pulled Judy's wig clean off her head in front of everyone.
“our daughter grabbed a handful of Judy's "hair" and pulled the wig clean off her head”
Judy left immediately
No one made a scene, but Judy was beside herself and walked out. The room's politeness did not undo the exposure she felt.
“No one made a big deal of it, but Judy was beside herself and left immediately.”
The demand that followed
Judy wants an apology from the mother, saying she "hasn't been raising her right." The mother-in-law has been pushing for the same thing.
“demanding that I apologize for what Mandy did because I supposedly "haven't been raising her right"”
Why it stings this much
Jamilah had her own wig pulled off at a party in 2006, with real hair underneath, and still gets annoyed thinking about it. For Judy it was devastating.
“I had a full head of hair underneath and the wig was stupid…and I still get annoyed when I think about it!”
Just say sorry
Apologize when your child causes harm, accident or not. If Judy keeps pressing after that, the problem is hers to carry.
“Saying "sorry" is free!”
In short
Apologize when your kid hurts someone, even accidentally. It costs you nothing and it is not an admission of bad parenting.
