We were in Chicago a few weeks ago, walking around and enjoying the city. Suddenly, a bumper sticker on a newsstand caught my eye.
A whole bunch of different thoughts flitted through my mind at the sight of this. But the one that stuck out first was, “ooooops”. You see, I was pushing Adeline around in a stroller at the time.
my bad
To be fair, I don’t think the sticker was really directed at me. Yes, Adeline can walk, but not like a real person. If I tried to walk down a city street with her it would be a comedy of errors. She’d run up to random people, try to pick up cigarette butts, bang on the windows of stores, and turn in circles or walk the wrong direction. She understands what I’m saying, but not all the time and not when she doesn’t want to do what I ask. She’s becoming a toddler, but she’s still a baby. And we were walking all over the city that day – the stroller really was necessary.
No, I don’t think this was aimed at me. You know who it was aimed at. Those people who keep their kids in strollers when they’re three or four or, yes, I’ve seen it, even f-ing five years old. Good lord, people, what the hell?? I get that the things I described above don’t just stop when your kid gets older. Now the kid can run and there are cars speeding by and life is hard. But really?
I was in the airport on the way home from Chicago when a family passed by. The kid was at least three and he was walking along with them, but apparently not fast enough. The mom was yelling at him to keep up. Then she yelled, “OK, get in the stroller. Be a big boy and get in the stroller!” Wait, what? Don’t big boys walk?
So yes, clearly some people really do need to ditch the stroller. But the other thought I had at that moment was, “Wow, who cares enough about this to make bumper stickers and paste them all over Chicago?” I did a google search, but to no avail. I guess it will remain a mystery. In the meantime, ditch the stroller, yo!
MOM!!! Get me outta this stroller!!!!!
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- The Great Midwestern Adventure (momentsofexhilaration.com)
I’m not sure you saw my comment on BlogHer Chatter, so I wanted to leave it here. http://www.blogher.com/too-big-try-just-right-stroller
You don’t know the whole story when you look at a child who seems “too big” for a stroller.
Thanks for the comment. Of course, you’re absolutely right. And the blog that you linked to is very informative. I often see kids get out of the stroller, walk around on their own, and then get back in. That strikes me as odd. But it was interesting to see her point about how, although her kids can walk, they can’t walk for long distances, etc.
To be fair though, I think we can all admit that some parents really do use strollers for kids that are perfectly capable of walking. But like I said, I can’t imagine who cared enough to make bumper stickers and paste them all over Chicago. Or to make the Too Big For Stroller blog.
I promise you when your daughter is three and you are trying to get errands done or trying to get through a busy airport and she is strolling along at her own little pace checking every thing out she passes, you will put her in a stroller.
Maybe not at five, but at three or four….you will. And probably not on a leisurely walk through the city, but in a situation like the airport…you will.
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