An angry lady at the pharmacy

I was at the pharmacy today when a lady walked in looking very displeased. A little girl followed behind, reminding me of a puppy with its tail tucked down in between its legs.

She was obviously in trouble.

While I tried not to eavesdrop on the lady's conversation with the pharmacist, she was so loud (I wonder if she was doing that on purpose) that I was forced to listen to her insensitive and lengthy rant, punctuated with remarks no child should hear of himself or herself - least of all, in public.

Everyone in that tiny pharmacy heard of how unprepared the little girl was for her school exams that she had only received a "good" comment on her paper from her teacher rather than the "very good" that her mother had expected. "This is what you get when you play the fool!" the lady screeched in the direction of her daughter - in Mandarin. Sparks of fire fanned out from her nostrils, almost.

"It is good that she has already tried her best..." the pharmacist said, trying to pacify the lady, whose rant had seemed to do anything but help her vent her frustrations. She sounded as shocked as I felt. The little girl looked very down. She put her arms around her mother's waist, waiting for some sign of acceptance - but she got none. Mom continued to brag about how well her daughter could have done in her exams if only she had worked harder.

Even I was embarrassed. And disturbed. I wanted to cry.

Reflecting on this incident afterwards, I wonder what I should have done in a situation like that. As an outsider, it is easy to say how we should treat a child with dignity and not refer to him/her as a disability or an embarrassment - at all times and all places. However, I pray that when I am put to the test as a parent myself, I would have the strength, grace and self-respect not to tear my child down with my words and actions.