I was equally in the wrong. This isn’t one of those ‘there was an altercation and it wasn’t my fault’ posts. I’m just properly upset and need to share/vent.
So it’s been a very tough morning; wife’s been away all week, I’ve been doing the day job as well as the morning and evening shifts with the kids. We all went into town today to get some lunch and then a shop but as it turned out the wife is just too tired to be able to keep up with our kids who are being seriously difficult.
So I’ve gone to do the shopping without her, so she can have a break, and have had to man handle my youngest kicking and screaming across town only to find that he refuses to sit in the chair of the trolley, but he’s quite happy to sit inside the trolley itself. Fine. Let’s keep life simple.
But the security guards have different ideas. I get a fairly gruff verbal notice from one as I walk in and in all honesty, sure I thought screw you there’s no way this works any other way. So I say nothing and just carry on. The next thing I know, one of his colleagues has raced up in front of me and fairly roughly grabbed the trolley and officiously informed me to get my sone out of the trolley.
I lost it. I mean totally lost it. I didn’t react violently but the red mist came down. As far as I was concerned, grabbing the trolley as he did was tantamount to assaulting my son. Of course, it wan’t, but having already come in to the store at about nine out of 10 on the stress score, to then have this oaf of a security guard deal with me in this brusque and (physically) rough way I was just so angry and extremely defensive.
I confess I kicked off and demanded they let go of the trolley and when they didn’t I think it came pretty close to being physical.
Needless to say both my kids were balling their eyes out with fear.
In conversation with the store manager aftewards, my side of the story was focused on the way they dealt with the situation; I accept their policy and my ignoring it. He, the store manager, was a super star. Patient, empathetic, explained why they had the policy in the first place, took time to listen and be objective. He really put me at my ease. If only the security guards had done the same initially none of this would have happened. I bet if I’d been a mum with her kids they wouldn’t have dared approach the situation like that.
As I said, I just need to share. I’m upset. It’s not been a good morning!