I was fuming mad!

Since it was a fortnightly trip for the groceries, the trolley was filled to the brim. It was just my son & I at Tesco this morning. I was struggling at the check out counter to quickly get everything out of the trolley in a organised manner (heaviest first).

I also brought my own bags (being green & collect extra points) and was thus also trying to pack things in fast yet organised (heaviest down first).

There's always some kind of pressure on me to quickly get through the check out as fast as possible to avoid customers behind me from giving me "why so slow" looks.

All the while, my son was babbling loudly (kinda like screeching) cos he's very tired, thirsty (I did give him some water) and hungry (very near lunch time). But he was still very good - he didnt throw a temper. He in fact, wanted to help take things out of the trolley onto the counter. It of course messed up my aim of heaviest first but it didnt matter. To me, it's more important to encourage him to help.

I had noticed amidst all that's going on that there was an elderly man seated on a stool about 6 feet from my check out counter. He had been observing my son in his NeuroSuit. It's quite expected that people are curious as they've never seen the Neurosuit. They're generally pleasant folks.

This man however was something else. He was rude. He shouted at my son "Hey Boy! Boy! Boy!" in a mocking tone underlying his sniggering, wanting my son to approach him. I ignored him. I know some folks are simply not polite.

A week ago, my son fell whilst running in the master bedroom & the side of his face knocked the bed frame. The bruise appeared instantly. Overnight, the bruise spread from the side of his eye to the bottom & top eye lids. It looked terrible but his opthamologist confirmed that his eye was not injured. It was a minor bruise.

Strangers we've met over the week asked what happened to his eye. Some straight away asked if he fell. Most were sympathetic as it looked real painful. Most understood that kids fall & hurt themselves. My friend's kid broke his shin & needed a cast. Another time, his kid fell & needed stitches. A little girl with her arm in a sling, in my son's kindergarten, fell & sprained her elbow.

Back to the story of this man. Not satisfied that he got no reaction from my son or me, he went one step further. He shouted "Hey! Kenapa dengan dia? Di dera ke?" (translated: Hey! What's up with him? Abused?) He crossed the line! I was mad but was still very much in control of my emotions. I ignored him, continuing with my packing.

But guess what? He didn't know where to stop. He shouted the same words again. That was simply too much. I turned to him. I said in a very loud, very firm voice, speaking very slowly, with finger pointed at him and full of anger "Kalau...kamu...tak...henti...cakap...di dera...saya...akan...tumbuk kamu!". Translated: If you don't stop saying "abuse", I'll punch you. He was very shocked. There was not a peep after that. The security guard that was standing between us walked away.

I didnt make any eye contact with him after that. I was fuming mad. I still had to pack the groceries. But I was still polite to the check out girl. I was still in control of my emotions.

On the drive back, I was reflecting on what happened. I was shocked that I uttered those words. The words just came out. I didnt plan on what words to use.

Btw, the man was twice my size. Somewhat elderly, perhaps 60+ years old. Old but obviously not wise.

Am I a protective mom? Yes.
Am I an over-protective mom? I dont think so.

Was it wise to say those words? On hindsight, perhaps not. He was twice my size. Perhaps I should have instead shouted this to him: "What's wrong with you? Why are you disturbing my son? Are you a paedophile?"