I packed a diaper bag for my baby girl with some wipes, a bottle, and the usual business for a check-up at the pediatrician’s office for a routine visit. It was supposed to be a routine visit. Little did I know I would soon be handed a script to get x-rays.

STAT.

In somewhat of a panic, I grabbed my daughter and rushed off to see the Radiologist. Entering the doorway with my extra large diaper bag, hat, gloves and the whole bit, I finally reached the counter with the weight of my daughter in my arms. A woman sat behind the counter peering beneath her dark charcoal frames while waiting for me to provide opening remarks. I began, “Hi. I’m here to get x-rays for my daughter.”

In a snarky tone she asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I just came from the pediatrician’s office and they told me you make room for emergency situations and she is to be seen today.”

While snapping the end of a pen cap and tilting her head to the side she responded with, “We don’t accept walk-ins.”

Getting a bit annoyed I answered, “Ok, well maybe you would like to give them a call since I just came from there and that’s what I was told. My daughter needs to be seen…TODAY.”

Snarky woman pushed her arms away from the desk and rolled her chair backwards over to reach the phone. After a brief chat with the pediatrician’s office, she got up from her chair and collected some papers. Without a word, she grudgingly provided the necessary paperwork for me to fill out. Apparently, my daughter was going to be seen.

Already upset from not knowing what was going on with my daughter’s health, snarky woman’s attitude was the last thing I felt like dealing with. I took the paperwork, my anxious daughter and the 20 pounds of gear I had on and found a seat in the waiting room full of adults.

I quickly realized there weren’t any children’s books lying on the table. The walls were not painted a cheerful blue, red and yellow and there was not a toy to be found in that space. Anywhere. This was going to be a very long afternoon.

After sitting my daughter on my lap as I tried to get situated to begin the paperwork, sheer panic suddenly struck me. Considering this was what I thought to be a quick visit with the pediatrician at an office we knew very well, I was obviously not prepared. My daughter already drank her bottle and I did not have a lunch packed for her. To make things worse, there was not one small toy to be found in my bag.

So without toys in the office or substantial food in my bag, what’s a Theta Mom to do? When Miss Fussypants decided to cry out of boredom and hunger, I would have nothing to give her. And in an office full of adults, this certainly was not a pleasant situation. Luckily, through one more desperate attempt to find something in that bag, I located some Puffs. I broke them out as soon as my daughter became restless. Within moments of cracking open the Puffs, snarky woman stood up from behind the counter, opened the sliding glass window and popped her annoying head out.

“Excuse me…” she said as she glared directly at me. Pointing to a semi-ripped piece of paper hanging outside the glass window she added, “There’s no food or drink permitted.”

I couldn’t believe it. She was serious.

And I was seriously done.

I added, “Well basically, you have two options. You can either listen to my baby girl scream loud and uncontrollably for the next hour and watch me go insane OR we can all have peace and quiet while a few Puffs decorate the carpet. Take your pick.”

She didn’t move for a moment. I don’t think she expected me to react to her snarky behavior. That response immediately kept her quiet as she slowly closed the glass window.

And for the record, I chose the latter.

Indefinitely.

***And I know many of my bloggy friends would want to know the outcome of my daughter upon reading this post. She is doing well. It’s just so amazing to me how others seem to forget what it’s like to have children.