Post Office Mama...

    
 I was at the post office for forty five minutes today dealing with shipping a ton of product.  Luckily, there was lots of drama keeping me busy as I sorted everything out!!

      I had a TON of boxes and packages to ship out today!  The surprisingly pleasant post office lady hooked me up with some flat rate boxes and shipping supplies which saved me more than $60!! 
     While I was re-boxing and labeling everything a woman came in with two small children; probably two and three years old.  Mamma was clearly OVERWHELMED! :/  She went up to the counter and had everything wrong for what she needed to send out of the country.  The kids were running all around and grabbing things off the counter.... She suddenly leaned down and shouted "This is a Federal building.  Do you understand?  A FEDERAL BUILDING" to her two and three year olds!??  (Personally, I don't thing they understood!)  They got the basic message though and stood quietly for a second.
      She stepped away from the counter to fill out the right paperwork and grabbed some customs forms for her kids to scribble on while they were having to wait.   She was filling out her forms, assuming her kids were where she left them, when the Post Office worker informed her that her daughter had grabbed a greeting card off the display and started scribbling on it.  The woman quickly grabbed the card away and told her daughter she was not suppose to be touching that and then turned back to her form.  When she was finished she asked the worker walking around what she should do with the card.  The postal worker said "I'm afraid you will have to pay for that Ma'am.  No one else will want to purchase the card now". 

The Mamma FREAKED OUT!!!

"Are you Kidding Me??" she yelled! "She is a child.  She made a mistake.  You are expecting me to pay for it because my three year old did something she didn't mean to do?"

"Uhhhhhhh, yes.  I'm sorry, but she wrote all over the card, so you will need to purchase it now."

"This is ridiculous.  I'm trying to fill this stuff out for my sister who has cancer and is starting chemo tomorrow and you expect me to be able to watch every single thing around me at the same time?"

"I'm really sorry to hear that Ma'am."

Then I see her walk over and grab her child who was off doing who-knows-what now and drags her over to the lady.   Then she says "How about if she apologizes?  Will that do?  That will teach her a lesson and we can be done with this."

At this point you could tell the postal worker was thinking "Are You Freakin Kidding Me, Lady?? Pay for the Stupid card already!!" 
This was clearly not a money issue.  She just really felt that her daughter scribbling on the card should be ignored.  She turned down money from a stranger saying "I don't need the money.  It's a matter of how they are treating a child that made an innocent mistake!"

The worker reminded her again that it had nothing to do with the child, but since she did write on the card it would need to be paid for.

The Momma started doing the "You're the supervisor?  I want to talk to your manager.  This is going to go all the way to the top.  (at this point I was feeling a little sorry for her.  Until....) My husband the Dr. will see that this is heard about at the highest level!"

Uh, lady. Who cars who your husband is.  You were not watching your child, she messed up some product, So PAY FOR IT!!!

And this is when it happened-   The rare and strange moment when your mouth opens, words come out, and it doesn't feel like you have any control over what is happening.

"Ma'am, maybe it would be a good lesson for you to pay for the card showing your daughter the consequences of her actions. Then maybe she could help with some chores or something as payment  for the card she ruined!"   (The words came out of my mouth but I don't Think I planned to say them!)

"What is wrong with you people she is three, it was an accident!" She shouts at me!

"So is a car wreck, but you still have to pay for it"  (That one REALLY Slipped out!)  "Listen, I totally get it, I had three in three years and lord knows it was crazy.  But if it were me, I would have paid for the card and moved on."

"Why are you still talking to me.  This has nothing to do with you." She glares at me! :/

Then my business side comes out and the words "Plus, that is not their product to give away.  Someone else creates that product to support their family and when they leave it here they expect to get paid for it."  (I don't know what was wrong with me.... Shut Up Jamie!!!  It has been a long day is my only excuse!)

In the end the Momma was Furious, took down everybody's information and couldn't wait to tell her Dr. husband how horrific the post office was to her and her kids. 



It was such a strange feeling....  It's not like I couldn't relate. 
Girl, had Obviously had a ROUGH day.  Not to mention she was shipping stuff cross country for her sister who has cancer.  Two little tiny ones is no easy task and like so many of us; Momma clearly, had not had a chance to shower or put herself together.   HOWEVER, it was a two dollar card!!  She wasn't watching her kids as they were running around.  The child grabbed the card, opened it up, and drew all over it.... she didn't accidentally mark it as she was wobbling by. 

In the end, I wanted to give her a hug and say "I know it's hard.... tomorrow is a new day!"


Instead, I was asked to fill out a piece of paper with my contact info for the post office.  They asked if I was willing to be a character witness.


What do you think?  Should they have just gave it to her and not worried about it?  Honestly, this could have went both ways for me.  I think her initial reaction rubbed me wrong.  My hope is that she is at home enjoying a glass of wine while reading her newly decorated greeting card!! ;)