Mum 'gobsmacked' by stranger making rude comment about her child in supermarket

A simple interaction in a supermarket ignited a heated response, leaving a perplexed mum taken aback.

The mother of triplets, who has three year old twins - a boy and a girl - plus a tiny ten-week-old baby, had just taken her youngsters for a doctors visit before stopping at the supermarket for some essentials, reports the Mirror.

As they maneuvered through the aisles, chatting away, the inquisitive twins asked numerous questions about the items on display while discussing their post-shopping plans to visit the park.

While navigating one aisle, they encountered a service dog, a first-time experience for the young twins. This unexpected sight thrilled her pet-enthusiastic daughter who 'instantly shouted 'PUPPY MUMMY PUPPY LOOK' and pointed excitedly towards the dog'.

The mum advised her little girl to 'keep her voice down', and when she asked to stroke the dog, she had to explain that 'the puppy was on duty and we couldn't interrupt it'. On Reddit, she expressed: "I made it clear to them they could look at the dog but we were NOT going to call the dog, pet the dog, speak to the dog, or try and play with the dog. The dog is not like our dog at home, this dog has an important job and we don't want to distract him. They are three but did a really good job of respecting the dog's space. I was so proud."

The twins, who had never encountered a service dog before, were slightly puzzled and showered their mum with adorable queries about the dog's profession, asking everything from 'Is the dog working like daddy?' to 'Why can't we pet puppies with jobs?' They also pondered why their own dog at home wasn't employed, humorously concluding that it was too 'lazy'.

Their mother patiently answered all their questions as they continued their shopping trip. She remembered: "We walked right past the dog and the twins did a really good job of respecting the dog's space and not distracting him by shouting or reaching for him. (again so proud we have been working on respecting others' space)."

However, just as the family left the aisle, an older woman tapped the mother on the shoulder and claimed that her 'daughter was poorly behaved because she shouted when she saw the service dog'. The mum quickly defended her children, saying: "I informed her my child was three and three-year-olds do that sometimes. The older lady just looked at me and said that HER kids never shouted in stores THEY were ALWAYS quiet or asleep. I said okay thank you bye now and walked off."

"For two three-year-olds hopped up on the one piece of candy each the doctor gave them AND were super excited to go to the park later. They were shockingly well-mannered in the store. Besides the initial shout when they saw the service dog they didn't scream, cry, try to pet, talk to, call, or do anything besides just watch the dog and ask me questions."

Reflecting on the 'odd and kinda funny' experience, she continued: "I am so proud of them. My husband and I have been laughing about this story all night. The kids weren't even behaving badly they've definitely behaved much worse than shouting once in public (I'm not afraid to admit they have had complete meltdowns in public over the smallest things)."

"Maybe that lady had a stick up her butt or something. I thought they were being incredibly well-behaved sweet children today."

A number of fellow Reddit users empathised with her bewilderment and reassured her the fault was with the woman, not her parenting. One person commented: "I love the quote 'don't take criticism from someone you'd never go to for advice'. She's a mean spitfire woman. Don't give her a second more of your thoughts."

Another remarked: "I swear parents with adult children have no memory of what their kids were truly like. They're all the same! Throughout time and around the world."