Children say the ugliest things. But you know who said even Darnd thing? Complete strangers who have opinions about children. your children. TikTok founder Amanda Bouldin (@afterhourswithamanda) has a message for her three “little queens” after making two particularly rude comments about them at Trader Joe’s: ” We need to stop this behavior.
Boulding is a proud “girl mom.” She doesn’t call herself that, but she has three daughters and absolutely loves raising them. Lately, they’ve been preparing for the cheerleading competition, and as any sports parent can tell you, the prep work and prep activities are pretty chaotic. So the four ladies decided to head to Trader Joe’s for a little treat – because after a week like this, who hasn’t earned one?
“We were in the fruit section and I could tell this lady was looking at me,” Bourdin said. “You know how to tell when people are looking at you? Without warning she walked up to me and gave me a side hug and she said [with a groan] ‘ah. Three girls?
*record scratching moment*
“Um… Yesma’am, those are my three little queens,” she continued. “I went on to say, ‘I love it. I am Thriving—— Living my best life.
The woman smiled in mock disbelief and walked away.
Rude. The eldest little queen knows this. “Is she trying to be rude?” she asked her mother. Bourdin assured her it wasn’t her problem and they continued shopping.
“In less than five minutes” they were in the frozen food section picking out desserts. Puddings don’t usually offer dairy-free options, and one of her daughters was upset when she was given an option that her mum couldn’t eat. So considerate and sweet, right? After Boudin assured her children they didn’t have to worry about her, another stranger chimed in.
“Enjoy it while they’re young; when they get older, they’re not so friendly.
Boudin corrected him politely but firmly (“They’ll always be like this; they’re wonderful”), and what about the little queen? They just stared.
“We live in a world where we don’t need to put down little people to build friendships,” Bourdin concluded.
It’s frustrating that we, as a society, haven’t shed our baggage yet. Why do we think all girls will be miserable when they grow up? Or are the boys just rowdy and nothing else (as many TikTok users bemoaned this in the comments)?
“I had a mom like you and I never went through the ‘I hate my mom’ phase,” one commenter noted.
“As a girl who grew up with 5 other little queens, I support this!” said another. “Our parents always treated us with weird looks and disrespectful remarks. Our mom loved having 6 girls and there was never a dull moment!
“I was the youngest of 5 girls. I remember overhearing people making so many comments about my parents, especially my dad. ‘Oh, your poor dad,’ ‘So many in one house. Emotions!” recalled another. “It bothers me too. My parents are great and no matter what the weird comments, they always make us girls feel empowered and special.
God doesn’t allow us encourage children, and send the message that they are meant to be good. Do we think those who hold on to these ideas ever stopped and thought that maybe their “prophecies” were part of the problem? So to all the little queens out there, and to all the parents who are lucky enough to raise them: Come on!
