Guys... I’m still shaking. I was at the park with my husband and 3 year old son and we were having such a great time until an incident happened.

My 3 year old son is still learning how to communicate. He knows a lot of words but we are working with him on following directions and he isn’t making sentences quite yet. He is showing some autistic characteristics but hasn’t gotten a diagnosis because of covid but we are doing some online therapies with him to help him with his speech and social skills. That’s a whole other issue that I’m dealing with but just wanted to give you all some back story.

I was so proud of him today actually cause he was doing so well with following my lead and with making eye contact with me and he even found some pictures of animals on the slide and he was naming them (cow, cat, pig...) and I was especially excited because he was answering my questions about them “what does a cat say?” “Meow!” He usually doesn’t answer me when I ask questions so I was feeling so happy.

A few minutes later he was on the playground equipment (my husband and I were standing nearby) and there was a little girl about 5 or 6 years old (twice his age) in front of him. There wasn’t so much space between them on the little bridge so when he walked past her he used his hand to touch her shoulder for balance as he scooted past her. He did not hit her, he did not shove her, he did not hurt her, there was no malicious intent and he was half her size, but he did touch her and since we are supposed to be social distancing anyway I said to her and her mom that she was standing nearby for him “oh I’m sorry bout that.” And then her mother lost her mind at me “damn right!” And then she turned her attention to my 3 year old and screamed at him “you don’t dare touch my daughter.... uh uh you didn’t even say sorry yourself.” Shocked I said to her “Hey! You do not yell at my child. You talk to me. He is still very little and he is still learning...” she cuts me off then and continues “if he puts another hand on my daughter so help me God I will end him.” I am not kidding. She threatened to hurt my baby. My Husband lost it on her at that point even called her a crazy bitch which was not right and did not help the situation at all so we quickly left. But I can’t shake this feeling and I just want to cry.

I am sure there is some reason why the mom was so triggered I don’t know what she has experienced in her life and I wish her and her daughter the best. But it’s not ok for her to threaten a 3 year old boy even if he had hit her daughter on purpose, they was completely uncalled for and shocked me. Also so disappointed with my husband for calling her a bitch. He shouldn’t be using that language around small kids which in retrospect he realized. He’s usually a really kind and collected person.

Ugh We were having such a good day and I hate that it ended like that. My little guy is napping now but I’m still so on edge.

Have you ever had an altercation at the park with other parents? How do you handle it? Thanks so much for reading this long thing, I just needed to talk it out.