We were those parents

Last night at a restaurant, we were those parents that carried a screaming, kicking, hysterical toddler out half an hour after we got there

We were those parents who handed over an iPhone 5 minutes after we were seated so we could hope to keep some peace till the food showed up

We were those parents who, in that whispering yell (oh you parents know what I mean), threatened our toddler with taking away toys, taking away the phone, whatever we could think of, in hopes of getting through 15 minutes of quiet dinner

We were those parents who alternated shoving food into our mouth, trying to keep the toddler from painting the table with noodles, and frantically waving at the waitress for our check and some boxes

We were those parents whose kid then immediately melted into a hysterically sobbing octopus who had more than the 2 arms and legs he was born with

We were those parents who rushed out of the restaurant looking directly at the path of escape, trying not to drop the food or the squirmy toddler

We were those parents your glances skittered over nervously, because you didn't want to meet our eyes either but you didn't want to miss it either, like a train wreck

We were those parents
Our child was that child

And I apologize to anybody in the past whose screaming child I dared look down on and judged ther parenting.

I wanted to put this out there in case you thought our household was filled with rainbow farting unicorns all the time.