Original story
I’m peacefully walking with my Prek son who is biking and my infant is in the stroller. We walk our neighborhood daily—super family friendly, people are walking here all day every day.
I bring a double stroller in case my son gets tired of biking. We are walking along a very quiet street when a white truck passes us and turns around to park facing us.
I’m just minding my business. The guy (mid 30s, very clean cut, cartoony Avengers shirt on) stays in his truck.
I notice. My son is whining asking me to help put his stuffed animal in the cup holder of his bike.
I put the brake on the stroller and still have the strap around my wrist. I turn around and quickly stuff Fox in there.
Took maybe 3 seconds. As I’m turning around and letting up the brake the guy is opening the door to call the eight feet away that I “shouldn’t park your stroller there.
She is going to be coming home soon and I don’t want her to hit your baby.” I look and I’m at a part of the sidewalk that intersects passed a driveway.
Pretty standard neighborhood stuff.
There were no cars on the road. None audible anywhere near us.
I was kind of caught off guard because the whole thing was so quick and it was preposterous to think I would’ve left my baby parked there to be hit by a car that wasn’t even there. It was also silly to think that someone was going to come speeding so fast down a residential loop and pull into their own driveway so fast they wouldn’t see a huge double stroller and a person standing there.
And…it was barely three seconds.
I replied: “I think we are all set” with a little smile. He grimaced at me and said: “well, I wouldn’t want something to happen or someone to get hurt.
” I probably should’ve just pacified him with a “thank you” but I said “I’m a vigilant mother. Thank you.
” He couldn’t leave it alone either and snarked back: “oh, I’m sure you are.” It was just so odd and got under my skin.
It all seemed so passive aggressive and contrived from the start.
Of course my adorable child chimes in the he likes the guys shirt and asks him what is on it. The guy ignores him, opens his car door, takes (or pretends to take) a call, and closes the door.
The whole way down the street I looked to see if another car came quickly and no other cars came.
Should I have just said “thanks” and just left the unnecessary comment alone? AITA?
I feel a little creeped out by this person now.
TL;DR: guy implied I was being unsafe by pausing my stroller in a driveway for three seconds when his parked car was the only one around.
Edit: prek = prekindergarten (3-4) Edit after some excellent comments that really had me thinking either way: I realized that I stopped in the darned driveway because if I had waited until after the driveway I would’ve been standing right next to the dude who’d just turned around and parked facing me and stayed in his car watching me as I walked down the road. As I put it all together now I think I was trying to stay in open view.
My kid was whining about Fox and not wanting to go forward and it felt like the best way to just hustle us along. I feel generally safe in this neighborhood so this was just a good reminder of some other safety concerns to keep in mind.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments!