A woman refusing to let a new mom cut ahead of her while standing in line at a store is being backed on the internet for her decision.
Posting to Reddit‘s Am I the A******? (AITA) forum late last month, user u/Healthy-Gain-6586 said she was waiting in line at a store when a mom and her baby arrived.
An elderly lady who was also in the queue told the Reddit poster to let the mom skip ahead of them. The suggestion irritated Healthy-Gain-6586, which started an argument.
“I said that this checkout does not give priority for pregnant people and parents so she should wait in line like everybody else,” she wrote. “If she is unable [to wait] because of a baby, she shouldn’t bring the baby to the store with her.”
In response, the older lady began to “rant” at her, claiming she’d “never seen behavior like this before.” She also accused the Reddit poster of lacking empathy, saying she’ll feel differently “when she had kids of her own.”
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“If [I have children],” the Redditor replied, incensing the woman further.
“She started telling me how my life will be horrible if I don’t and how I will regret my decision,” she wrote.
Eventually, Healthy-Gain-6586 turned away when the pair continued to criticize her, even though she was clearly in earshot.
Healthy-Gain-6586 explained that she doesn’t dislike kids, but that parents shouldn’t be “entitled” to benefits for procreating.
“I just don’t see a reason why she should have a privilege to skip a line just because she popped the baby out of her vajayjay,” she wrote.
In a poll, Reddit users voted her “NTA” (not the a******), with the post receiving over 10,000 upvotes and 2,500 comments.
Are Child-Free People Discriminated Against?
Despite a rise in the number of Americans foregoing parenthood, research suggests that choosing not to have children is still taboo.
A 2021 study conducted by Michigan State University found that parents, would-be parents, and childless participants were biased against child-free people, and felt less warmly towards them than other groups.
In addition, research conducted in 2017 by Indiana University supports these findings, reporting evidence of “strong moral outrage” against child-free individuals from others.
James Miller, a psychotherapist and host of self-development and wellbeing radio show LIFEOLOGY, told Newsweek that people interact with others based on our backgrounds, which can make it hard to understand another’s point of view.
“We want others to experience what we’ve experienced. However, doing this can come across as superior or judgmental,” Miller said.
He added that comparing your life choices to others leads to stress, so it’s important to remember that every person’s journey is unique. Nevertheless, there are exceptions.
“Expecting to receive privilege because of your life choices is unhealthy and selfish,” he said. “We are all self-made. Respect others.”
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‘Took It Too Far’
The majority of Redditors backed Healthy-Gain-6586, with CaptainReptillian slamming “modern parenting culture.”
“Some parents don’t want to hear this but my time is just as valuable as yours,” the user commented.
“A lot of parents start to think they’re the main character in everyone’s story and should receive all the exceptions for minor inconveniences,” wrote OokiiStaR.
“The old lady deserved to be told off,” commented Jacelyn1313.
“[She] took it too far first by commenting on OP’s potential child free life,” agreed gimmeawhitecoat.
However, some users felt that Healthy-Gain-6586 overreacted, with Key-Shelter-7424 calling her response “disturbing.”
“All you had to do was ignore the conversation and keep your place in line,” they wrote.
EldritchAnimation told the poster to “learn to pick your battles.”
“[You’re the a******],” they commented. “An old lady trying to do something nice, however misguided, isn’t worth the blowup.”
Newsweek reached out to u/Healthy-Gain-6586 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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