Drawing Conclusions

My mom, my eighteen-month-old daughter, and I have gone out to lunch with extended family that we haven’t seen in a while. This consists of some aunts and cousins.

One of my cousins has a daughter who is almost exactly a year older than my daughter. As soon as we sit down at our table, this cousin immediately places a tablet with a show on for her daughter.

Our aunt (not her mom) notices that I am coloring with my daughter instead. My daughter is not being loud or distracting. She is perfectly content with scribbling on the paper with me and asking me to draw certain things.

Aunt: “Aren’t you going to give her something to watch?”

Me: “She’s okay. She likes to color, and if she gets bored with that, I have a bag in the diaper bag with some books and toys to keep her entertained.”

Aunt: “Where’s her tablet?”

Me: “She doesn’t have one.”

Aunt: “Why don’t you play something for her on your phone?”

Me: “I don’t allow her to play with my phone.”

Aunt: *Unlocks her phone.* “I’ll download something for her then. What does she like to watch? I’ll find her favorite show.”

Me: “No, thank you. She hasn’t really watched any TV other than maybe the occasional Mickey Mouse. She really is fine.”

[Aunt] continued to make remarks that my daughter needed something to do while we were waiting for our food and later pulled me aside and told me that I made my cousin look bad in front of the family.