by Becky Vieira posted in Life

I was in line at the counter, just about to order when I saw it. I went through a cycle of emotions in the few seconds it took to read it. Shock. Anger. Sadness. And then fear. Yes, fear. What was I afraid of, really" That my child would act like? a child" 
It was a sign. Five words printed on an 8x10 piece of paper. Framed and hanging on the wall of a pizza parlor.
?We love well-behaved children.?

I forgot my order. Mumbled the first thing I read when I looked back at the menu. Then turned to my son. My sweet son, who was teething and hungry. I was actually fearful he?d soon become one of the ill-behaved children that the sign was passive-aggressively warning me about. 
I think I felt threatened. There were four men at and around the counter and nearby pizza oven. I was alone with my child. No, I didn't fear for my safety. Rather, I somehow reverted to a little girl who's afraid of getting into trouble.  I didn?t know if I should turn and leave. Jump the counter in a single leap and start a fight (kidding). Or flip them the proverbial bird in my mind and stay for lunch. Like my son and I had every right to do, no matter how he behaved. 
I chose the latter. We stayed. Ate our pizza. He was actually quite well-behaved and surprisingly neat. 
Of course I think my child?s perfect. He?s my child. I?m also aware that the rest of the world doesn?t share my attitude, nor do they need to. Some people aren?t kid people. I can respect t...