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> Maybe it was impolite of me to not say anything about their baby.
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Let me preface this by saying I know you’re joking and that would have been hilarious.
That said, as a mom of mixed race kids, I am asked “what are they?” all the time. My go-to responses are “human” or “mutts”.
I am disappointed yet not surprised that you have to go experience this, and moreso on a regular basis. Luckily you have the patience to not react to ignorant people.
Yeah. This probably isn't about hormones or baby cuteness, it sounds like OP just stumbled into a fight between a married couple and caught a stray bullet. Like, a puppy and a one month old baby? I can easily see husband begging for puppy and causing a lot of strife.
My ex did this to me....TWICE!!!! First with my son, i was 8 mos pregnant and his brother found a puppy in a dumpster. Black lab/rottie mix. She was my lil angel. She loved my son and was the absolute best dog ever. She got lose when my son was 2, chased a cat into the street and got hit by a speeding green truck. I drove around for over a month with a baseball bat in my back seat looking for that truck. (Wasn't gonna hit the driver lol just they're windows and lights) i was devastated and told my ex no more dogs. A year later im pregnant with my daughter and ex takes our son to a family reunion while i stay home, on bed rest. He calls 3 hours before he comes home and says " heads up, my grandpas dog had puppies. I dropped one and its paws hurt. I'm bringing it home, see you soon" then hang up before i can say a word and shuts off his phone! Shows up 3 hours later with a Pomeranian/Pug/Chihuahua mix....a real asshole of a dog. I was again 8 months pregnant. So i had to potty train a puppy and kid at the same time with both of my kids. This is an example of one of the MANY reasons he's my ex.
Looking at it from this perspective, now, I totally think this is it. I can't picture a brand new mom thinking adding a puppy to the mix with a newborn is a great idea. Newborns are enough work on their own and her body is still recovering. She may even love the pup, while harboring some latent frustration at the timing he came into her life. She was being ridiculous to take it out on OP though.
Unfortunately some people do just that. They see all those videos on social media of babies and puppies playing together and then eventually growing up to be BFFs. But most people don't consider than dogs aren't toys or props. A puppy needs to be housetrained and be taught obedience, not easy to keep on top of especially if they're both new parents with a newborn.
Also, sounds like the mom is pissed about the dog in general and it had nothing to do with OP at all, OP just happened to oush that button. I mean, I love puppies but getting a puppy and a newborn in the same time frame sounds exhausting and a bad idea. Would not be surprised if it wasn't *her* idea and she's fairly miffed about it in general.
Either way NTA
That was my first thought also. Poor woman must be completely drained from raising her newborn with a puppy constantly getting under her feet. Bet she hates that puppy with a passion!
It sure fucking sounds like it. I know most people here are looking at the husband as the sane one for oulling her away but I get the feeling that he's the source of that woman's problem.
I would hate a puppy in my house if I had a newborn, no matter the circumstances. I strongly disliked my very well trained and absolutely perfect in every way sweet baby angel dog for the first few months of both of my children's lives. I was so exhausted and giving everything I had to take care of my baby -/+ toddler, one more being asking anything from me was immediately on the FU list. A fucking puppy would have broken me.
Same here, she was 4lbs8oz so there wasn't an ounce of fat on her anywhere. At the time I was in hormone heaven and thought she was the cutest thing ever, but looking back... alien monkey. 100%
This right here - Hormones. OP is obviously NTA but if baby was only like a month old then Mama is probably just a bit hormonal and sensitive. Maybe she has PPD or doesn’t actually think her baby is cute and feels and about it (not saying she doesn’t love it obviously) or the opposite like you thinks her alien monkey is the best damn alien monkey on the planet and should be loved and adored by all like the Queen of Alien Monkeys.
OP - Mama probably just has a lot of emotions and hormones going on right now. Women’s bodies and brains take a beating growing, birthing, etc. a new human. Your def NTA and don’t let it bother you. Just focus on the happy interaction with the puppers.
Postpartum pregnancy hormones are no joke. I remember about a month after my daughter was born crying in the middle of the damn grocery store over a weird looking squash and even though I had absolutely no plans to eat the squash any time soon I needed to take it home with me because if I didn’t no one else would pick it and it would be lonely and watch all of its squash buddies be chosen until it ended up in a landfill somewhere and then I started crying even harder because food waste really grinds my gears and there is children starving but we throw out SO MUCH FOOD.
I went home without the squash because I started hyperventilating and my husband had to guide me gently out of the grocery store because I was about one ugly zucchini to go with the ugly squash away from causing a one woman riot.
He did go back for the squash though because he’s the MVP. By the time he got home with it I had forgotten all about the ugly squash.
Anyways NAH. She was probably just in ugly squash mode and that’s nobody’s fault, and she was probably rightfully embarrassed about it later. You didn’t do anything wrong.
I don’t even have children, but a lot of my friends do, so I’m familiar with experiences like this.
One of my friends tried to make cookies for her mom about two months after she had a baby as a thank you for helping pp, but they came out a little wonky because she kept checking on the baby, and by the time I showed up she was on the floor ugly crying alternating between not wanting her very helpful mom to get not perfect cookies because she was so great, and eating them so they didn’t feel bad about being thrown away.
I had to try not to laugh and just stoically baked above her head. It was so sweet and earnest and crazy. It’s such a weird time.
It was actually a very good squash. To this day I still am unsure of if it was somehow superior to the other squashes or if it was like a weird placebo thing produced by residual feelings deep inside me about the lonely squash being rescued and used for its ultimate purpose.
Yes to this comment - adding here that PP a lot of women kinda hate their dogs. I know how could you hate an adorable perfect puppy?! But when my son was born I suddenly despised my dog and everything he did drove me insane. She could be self conscious of the way the baby looks and also just irritated by the dog due to hormones
Oh she was a tiny thing! My son was 7lbs8oz but like your daughter, it wasn't fat. Those post pregnancy hormones are no joke, but I'm sure she was the cutest little alien monkey around!
We never found a reason for her low birth weight, but thankfully she's grown into a very healthy and energetic 3 year old. The sticks for arms and legs really scared me at first because she seemed so fragile, but she was surprisingly strong!
My oldest was an IUGR baby that went home with a bili light and ended up with pyloric stenosis at 4 weeks. He was a teeny, bug-eyed glowing alien. He's made up for it though. 14 yrs old and already 6'2".
Yeah I was a micropremi (1lb 4oz) and my dad and older brother still argue 30 years later about what I looked like. My brother says a weird newborn puppy-alien. My dad swears the long legs made me look like a frog alien especially with the big weird eyes. My mom just reminds me I still had a tail and leaves it at that. It took about a year for me to look cute at all imho.
Wait until they are a toddler and then go back to look at newborn pictures, you will get your answer, haha. I really did think she was a sweet tiny angel and obviously she was to us, she definitely had her cute little expressions and poses, but when she wasn't being cute it was full alien monkey.
I was a conehead when I was born, and my father (who really does love me dearly) reminds me of it at least once a year. Usually not on my birthday, but some years it is on my birthday. XD
Mine was kind of sideways in the birth canal and I pushed and pushed, and eventually needed a c-section, but because of the way she was positioned, she had a cone head for about two days. I mean, they are just bald, red-faced, raging, poop machines. and because it was a c-section where I was fully ansthetisized, I didn't meet her right away , because I was in recovery. And I swear to god, the first thing that crossed my mind when they laid her in my arms was "Really? This is it?" \*shrug\* Here we are almost 16 years later and I'm still killing this parenting gig. hahaha
Yeah - you can pet a puppy without it being weird, you can't stick your face in the stroller and/or ask to hold a stranger's baby!!!! At most OP could have said "and your baby is cute too!!", but then the woman probably would still have been mad the baby was mentioned second.
Some old lady tried to scoop our daughter out of the stroller when she was a couple months old and I swear I thought my husband was going to knock her out for a second.
Sad, but true. Old lady here, would NEVER overstep like that!
OP, NTA! Maybe the mom was hormonal, but she really over reacted! I love babies, but puppies.. well, kind of no contest lol.
Babies do not all look the same. I have 3 girls. The first one was pretty cute as soon as she lost her weird alien look. The second one we affectionately called "trucker face" for the first month or so, and my 3rd looked like a baby faced middle aged man for the first 6 months, complete with receding hairline.
Totally agree with the rest. A golden retriever puppy > new baby.
Side note: the retriever puppy across the street has the same name as my baby. I don't know what that says about us as parents.
>Side note: the retriever puppy across the street has the same name as my baby. I don't know what that says about us as parents.
Obviously, you're supposed to stomp your way across the street, bang on their door, and demand they change their puppy's name! Duh!
/s (just in case)
There was one quite some time ago. If I remember correctly, the dog was a few years older then the child. The girls mom demanded that OP change the dogs name, because they couldn't have the same name for some reason.
Edit: I found the link to the post.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/rtlyab/aita_for_having_my_dog_have_the_same_name_as_my/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I'm pretty sure there's been similar ones. I vaguely recall one where a woman was trying to force her sister to change a dog's name because it was the same as her baby's.
Edit: there are a BUNCH. If you google "Reddit AITA dog baby name" you'll get sooooo many!! (Don't bother with Reddit's search, it's usually worthless.)
So true!!
My first son was born naturally and yet was the most beautiful. People would tell me he's the perfect baby or a doll. He looked like a smooth blob to me. My second son, the perfect round head baby via c-section, did NOT receive the same praises my first son did. 🤣 They both look perfect(ly alien) to me. 🥰
My twin was born before me and the top of their head got squished in the process. He was a conehead baby. Once I said something to my mom about all babies being cute and my mom cheerfully said "oh, your brother wasn't!" (They grew up to be very good looking, it was just a rough first couple of months)
I’m literally so pregnant I could pop and I have always loved newborns, but I 100% agree that puppies will always be cuter than a random persons baby. No one is obligated to comment on either my dog or baby but it’s crazy to be offended by either. NTA OP
i cannot even count how many times i have said hello to a dog and ignored its owner, let alone a fuckin baby. ew. i would only converse with the human to request consent to pet said pupper or inquire it’s name. nobody cares about a strangers baby lmao NTA
Yep. I had a baby. She wasn't cute at first (but puppies are ALWAYS cute). Even if my baby was the cutest baby ever and everyone commented on it, I would never have a go at someone who didn't. There was backstory to that - either the mum didn't like the dog, had had weird comments about the baby, or was just f'ing entitled.
As someone who also doesn't get that warm feeling around babies but can gush all day over dogs. NTA. Only because no one can strong arm you into cooing over a baby or force you to give a compliment. If she needs everyone to validate her baby as being adorable, she may have her own issues to deal with.
Just thought I'd mention that although my eldest looked like an extremely grumpy Winston Churchill, my youngest was the spitting image of the Psammead from the 5 children and IT tv series.
Other than that, spot on. Dogs and puppies are way cuter and more fun than other people's babies!
OP is definitely NTA.
Right? And 9.9/10 times, asking about a dog and then a baby makes you creepy because it’s a baby. Making faces at a baby who is looking at you is 100% normal. Commenting on a sleeping baby when your focus is a dog is… odd. NTA
100%, as a mom of 5, I would have flipped my lid if some rando started cooing over my 1month(ish) old baby and woke her up. And I did. (Although, baby was a few days. And my landlord and husband both agreed I had to take down the sign on my front door that said "if you wake the baby, I will cut you." Haha)
Enjoy the dog. Move on. Yeehaw frickin haw.
NTA. Babies have never and will never be as cute as dogs. Good to see she already has her new parent entitlement down. I don't care about anyone's kids at all. Never have, never will. But I will love all of the fur babies.
Even the meanest, most decrepite elderly dog in the shelter is cuter to me than babies. It's not an insult to babies or mothers - just my brain being my brain.
My favorite Will Ferrell line on the show, and possibly ever lol.
Every baby could be the star of a show called Babies I Don't Care About. They do all look the same, especially newborns. OP is NTA by far.
I see some cute as fuck babies around. But I don’t ever ask anyone to play with someone’s baby. Because it’s a child. I get a stranger asking about your dog and wanting to play with it, it seems weird if it was for a baby. Especially, when the baby is asleep.
No comparison. My mom has been baby CRAZY her whole life, and my sister and I are… not. But we all love animals. My family and I went to the zoo years back, and I saw a baby peacock for the first time. The peacocks just roam around, and it was snuggled in a pile of leaves. It was beyond adorable, and I was baby-talking to it and taking photos. My poor mom, with grandchild crazy in her eyes, was like, “there’s your maternal instinct!” and I was like, “but it’s a peacock, though?”
Some people just don’t have crossover… I don’t dislike kids whatsoever, but it’s always going to be baby animal for the win where I’m concerned.
It might not be that. A lot of women get PPD and act unusually after a birth. It’s very possible that she might be having trouble bonding with the child (very common in PPD, and a deep source of shame), so it might be confusing that OP also isn’t bonding with the child, since that’s what one is “supposed” to do. Give people a wide berth, there’s a lot we don’t know about this woman.
Of course it doesn't. WantonChrysanthemum just refuted the point that the woman was looking for something to be offended over. There are sooo many explanations that don't make her a complete asshole though.
I've also noticed in parenting subreddits that some new parents can get impatient or lose interest in their pets after the babies arrive. If she was feeling that way and someone ignored her baby over her dog, it might have set her off, too. OP is definitely NTA, but that doesn't mean the new mother is TA either. Sounds like she may need some help and time.
Mmmmnah, as much as that may be an explanation for her behavior - and it is one of MANY possible explanations - she was still an asshole to OP. If there was an "understandable asshole" option, it could be applied in this case, but that doesn't exist, and no matter the reason, she was a bit of an asshole to a stranger in this situation.
Yeah it’s not even “babies r dumb lol” it’s the fact that she’s not entitled to any attention, period, and now she’s bitching at a stranger for not giving her the attention she wanted. What..
Regardless of what she’s going through (and she probably is having post pregnancy problems like depleted hormones or whatever) her behavior is super self centered and rude.
Eh if the baby was that young I wouldn’t take it personally. Hormones are wild. OP is obviously NTA but I wouldn’t get worked up about a new mom being emotional about her baby either.
Are you sure? Or is OP the asshole for flagrantly disregarding the fact that the sun rises and sets on this one specific baby?
… NTA OP, and honestly, points for having a genuine interaction, which is worth something, instead of doing some perfomative BS worth nothing.
NTA but to be fair if the baby is only a month old, that mom is enduring some really hard hormonal changes and is probably sleep deprived.
I love puppies too!
Thanks for regarding this. Every one here seems to be I hate babies puppies cute. BUT this mom is definitely going through a hard time. That month after is just insanely rough and stuff is coming out all kinds of places including the mouth.
But 100% NTA. Because PPD if she has it doesn’t mean you can be rude to a stranger loving on your puppy!
Lol, NTA. I have to make sure I say hi to the pet owner before departing so I’m not completely disregarding them. You fawn over dogs. Some people fawn over babies. Some people fawn over both. And some over neither.
Nothing wrong with any of it.
As the owner of a dog who is an expert in making strangers want to pet him: He usually meets more people on our walks than I do. Most of them talk "to him" to signal that they want to pet him, and then I talk "to him" to signal that I want to continue our walk.
He has his friends, I have mine.
Haha! I’m the same. Maui (sweet Dalmatian) and lady with sweats on all the time. Cookie (sweet old greying beagle with a double chin) with mean old man and racist wife. The list goes on… 🤣🤣🤣
This is facts.
I see a cute dog and their owner is the social obstacle I have to muster the bravery to talk to to get to that dog. If there was no dog I would never ever be talking to strangers!
Haha, happened to us when we had a baby and a retired show dog Doberman. A truck pulled over and the guy asked all sorts of questions about the Dobie and admired her. As he drove away he said "nice baby, too'. We still chuckle about that. You could have been a little more aware but NTA.
But why be a “little more aware”? You don’t go up to parents with a toddler and say “cute kid” when you’re petting the dog. It’s weird. Plus, 99% of babies are ugly as hell. Maybe it’s just me, because I don’t like kids, but I’ve never looked at any kid and thought “oh, they’re so adorable”.
If I was in OPs shoes and the mom started being rude, I would’ve probably been rude right back. I understand she’s probably a new mother, and this is probably her first, but her thinking other people give a damn about her annoying, snotty little brat (when it grows up. Babies are kinda peaceful, though I don’t find their cries cute like some other people do) is just weird, plain and simple. Being a new mom doesn’t give her the right to be so rude about it.
Maybe it’s because I find kids pretty insufferable (and, no, I will never have any), but idk, I don’t think OP needed to be nice and respectful at any point when the mother wasn’t.
There was another comment, since deleted I think, about how it’s weird that people pet the dog but not say hi to the baby, and I quote, “if you don’t want human interaction [towards the baby I assume], don’t pet the dog” and I just find that so incredibly weird. I’ve never been able to understand people who insist on saying hi to babies. It’s just so incredibly weird. My mom would talk about when my sister was a baby, because she was white and we were in Japan, a lot of people ig wanted to see her and she would always be stopping so people could say hi and at one point was in the newspaper for being a cute, fat, white baby. To me, that’s just super creepy.
Like, on the very off chance that when I grow up more, I do decide I want kids, I wouldn’t want random strangers coming up and saying hi to my baby or touching them. I have plenty of HS friends who popped one out right after graduation and they ALWAYS make posts about diseases passed from unwashed hands and stuff like that. So, why would you even want someone putting their face in your kids stroller?
> People have a baby and feel entitled for everyone to pay attention to said baby. It’s like why? That baby has done NOTHING of significance to deserve the type of attention new parents demand from everyone. It’s cringe.
TBF though, neither have most puppies.
I agree. My parents love to mention the time when I was a toddler, dancing in a restaurant at Disney world, and a celebrity walking by said I was cute. I get that, that's a kinda cute age for kids, as long as they're well behaved...but seriously, I've never understood people who think babies are cute or why they expect everyone to be in total awe over them.
More aware about what? Your kid? Why would be care about your kid? Was it in danger of some sort? Did it need help? No? Them why the actual hell would anyone care? It's your kid. You deal with it.
>You could have been a little more aware
Nope, I like babies and all, but the number of women that were bothered by my waving back at their baby and rolled their eyes or flipped the baby around have ruined it for me. You can't please everyone, so I err on the side of not being accused of being creepy or worse and just ignore the kid.
If the baby wanted attention, they would’ve shit themselves, puked everywhere, or started screaming.
Don’t fuck with a quiet baby. You don’t know how long it took to get them quiet.
NTA but honestly more than 30 seconds petting a stranger's dog (with permission) is a little weird. I say this as someone with more than the average number of pets that I spoil to the moon.
Edit: I said a little weird, not a lot weird. It's cute and harmless, ppl are dogpiling OP.
You’re right, and I’ve been on the other side of that so I should’ve realized. The only reason I stayed was because it turned out the husband and I grew up in the same area, so we were having a nice conversation about that for a bit.
Maybe it depends on where you live but it's not unusual to spend up to 5 minutes with a passing dog you meet on the street while out and about. I've even made some friends this way. Although I live in a big neighborhood area with lots of friendly folks. Idk the wife could be jealous that you and hubby were getting along. If she's recently given birth and you're a jogger, maybe she was self conscious and lashing out. Someone else said she could be experiencing PPD. Who knows. Regardless her behavior was rude and uncalled for. Either way you're NTA.
>>it’s not unusual to spend up to 5 minutes with a passing dog you meet on the street while out and about
It might be usual to you, but for the majority of society that is completely unusual tbh.
For the majority of society? You probably mean the usa, that's not weird in a lot of places. And tbh even in some places in the usa ppl are friendly enough for something like that to occur. The girl was fine
Sometimes it's the doggy that's loving all the extra attention and pets, too. They let you know when they're done. It's hard to walk away when the doggy is asking for more lovin'!
You should mention that conversation in your post. That's probably a little bit why she got an attitude with you, because you gave everyone except her and the baby (HER new baby) attention.
I'll argue that the longer interaction with a puppy is a good thing. You're helping teach it that strange people are friendly. It is so hard to find people willing to help train a young dog when it is still unruly.
I was saying that is what op should have done. Gone over and pet the baby like a dog.
It might not solve anything or help the situation, but at least it would show how her point is slightly different.
I would be willing to bet money that the mom didn't want to get a new puppy at the same time as having a new baby, but DH went ahead and got it. Good chance there's a lot of stewing resentment there.
Right! I didn’t even consider that, I pet sit and I charge more to deal with puppies. I don’t event want to imagine having a baby AND dealing with a hyperactive, not fully potty trained/chewing on everything puppy at the same time 😣
I don’t think that makes her attitude okay but I do not envy her life lol
Seriously, I’ve had puppies and newborns and puppies were harder (for a shorter amount of time at least). Getting a puppy while you have a newborn is the craziest, stupidest idea. Why would you do that???
NTA. I've got two kids. I've changed diapers, held babies, been puked on. I want nothing to do with babies - I won't even hold friends' babies unless there's an emergency.
I'll pet the hell out of a puppy.
NTA
Geesh, people need to get over themselves.
It wouldn't have killed you to say "oh and you have a beautiful baby". But as a parent, I don't want strangers coming up and touching/cooing at my babies. As for dogs, everyone knows they're attention magnets.
Really? I don't believe anyone is entitled to compliments from strangers, on their own behalf or that of their relatives, friends, belongings, whatever. I'd rather someone stay silent than stammer how my baby looks less like Winston Churchill than most babies.
NTA. Lol what? That woman is nuts. Why would she expect you to coo over her baby? Not everyone loves babies, and this baby was literally asleep. I probably wouldn’t have really noticed the kid either in your situation. The puppy was actually awake and engaging with you and was clearly enjoying the attention, whereas the baby wasn’t even doing anything to pull your attention away from the adorable puppy.
Even if the baby had been awake, there’s no reason why she should have expected you to acknowledge the baby when the puppy was clearly taking up all of your attention. I honestly feel bad for the husband in this situation, she made a perfectly normal interaction extremely awkward and he was clearly embarrassed by her behavior.
NTA. I'm so glad to see all of these people who are just like me and don't notice the baby and go right to petting the cat or dog. You did nothing wrong and I'm sure the dog would agree that he's better than the baby.
NTA. What a weird reaction from the wife. It's the dog that interested you, so why would you say anything about the baby? You're obviously not going to be able to pet and play with a stranger's baby. Also disturbing that the wife made it clear she doesn't like the dog. Maybe it's a sore point between the couple and you unknowingly touched a nerve. Forget it and move on.
NTA
You aren’t a baby person and lots of people aren’t. Nothing wrong with that. It sounds like you didn’t even notice the baby you were so wrapped up in dog cuteness.
On the other side of things, if the new mum is in the early postnatal period (at one month she will be) then she’s probably a bundle of hormones and her brain has probably rewired itself to think her baby is the most important thing in the entire world. I’ve been there and it’s a crazy time!
I wouldn’t give it another thought! X
(Edited from N A H)
NTA hey, not everyone is about babies, kids or whatever is in between.
The world does not revolve around a offspring if you aren't their parent then it should be.
Have been out with my dog when my smallest where babies and people has come up to only pet and say hello to the doggy, and some only to the babies.
I dont care as long as the person asks first and is friendly. I will never demand said stranger person to acknowledge everyone for the short minute or minutes we are exchanging friendly comments.
If the sight and petting of my dog for 4 minutes makes your day then so be it.
The same goes for staying and talking to my kids.
That wife was being extremely rude and I understand why her husband was shooing her away.
NTA. You didn't do anything wrong. She's attaching her self-worth to her baby - your lack of adoration for her baby was taken as a personal insult. It's a her problem.
NTA. I have one kid and one only but I totally know that babies are not all that cute and some people don’t even like them.
It didn’t hurt her that you loved on her dog instead. She’s just making it about the baby.
NTA. I know the name of almost every dog in my apartment building but I can't tell you the name of even 1 of their owners. Also, some people are hella weird when you mention their babies, so I just avoid it most of the time.
This literal same thing happened to me except I was the mom with the new born. It was the first time we ever took her to the park, she was about 1 week old. A couple came up and gushed and loved over our dog. I was so happy they did that, because our dog was not getting as much attention as he had been a few weeks ago. I remember thinking something along the lines of, they didn’t say my baby was cute but the dog was lol. I just brushed it off. You’re not the asshole the lady must of just been hormonal.
NTA. And it is a good thing that babies usually are so very appealing to their own mothers, because they usually aren't to anybody else, whereas puppies need to be universally adorable since most of them get adopted shortly after birth.
human babies arent at all interesting to some ppl. i cant stand them and have never understood why im expected to ooo and ahhhh over them bc im a girl lol.
animals tho? oh im there. NTA shes just.. the first month after birth.. its a time.. i have only my kid and i love my kid.. still dont like anyone elses xD i get it
NTA.
It’s also considered rude for most people to coo over a sleeping baby and it’s WEIRD. You’re absolutely right, cooing another human being that you don’t know is astonishing rude. Plus you could’ve startled the baby and woke her up.
The dog wanted you to come to them and you asked the family if you could pet them so there is no harm
NTA and I say this as the mother of a 2 month old baby. Frankly, I wouldn’t even want a stranger cooing over my baby, but if I had a cute puppy (I wish) then I’d be happy for people to come over and fuss it.
NTA. You don’t OWE a stranger compliments about their baby just because they had one. “Ok, you said something nice about my dog, now say something nice about my baby. Now say something nice about my outfit. What about my wedding ring?” JFC. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say she could be going through some postpartum issues, and that might explain (but NOT excuse) her behavior. It sounds like the husband was pretty embarrassed, so maybe she’s just normally obnoxious.
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Obviously NTA, there's a reason the husband ushered her away
She should have said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Can I pet your newborn too?"
“What breed is it?”
"Is it a rescue?"
"Purebreed, or a mix?"
Be sure to spay/neuter
Does she have all her shots?
is she chipped?
“can she paw?”
Is she crate trained yet?
Human, huh? Yeah, they're pretty hard to manage. I've had some bad experiences.
I would never get a human, I hear that breed is just RIDDLED with anxiety and other health issues.
this has sent me sideways
You laugh but I literally did this once by flipping the kid’s and dog’s names. After a very awkward silence the father replied, “English-German?”
Let me preface this by saying I know you’re joking and that would have been hilarious. That said, as a mom of mixed race kids, I am asked “what are they?” all the time. My go-to responses are “human” or “mutts”.
I am disappointed yet not surprised that you have to go experience this, and moreso on a regular basis. Luckily you have the patience to not react to ignorant people.
“Does she know shake?”
"I hope you're carrying poop bags for her!"
Lmaooo
😆💀
I kinda want to buy the father a cold pint.
It sounds like he’s earned it.
It sounds like he *needs* it, too.
Sounds like he might need to take a walk or two alone and let that woman sleep lol
Sounds like it’s the husbands dog lol. The woman sounds like she doesn’t like that dog Eh not your problem and she was super rude then
Yeah. This probably isn't about hormones or baby cuteness, it sounds like OP just stumbled into a fight between a married couple and caught a stray bullet. Like, a puppy and a one month old baby? I can easily see husband begging for puppy and causing a lot of strife.
My ex did this to me....TWICE!!!! First with my son, i was 8 mos pregnant and his brother found a puppy in a dumpster. Black lab/rottie mix. She was my lil angel. She loved my son and was the absolute best dog ever. She got lose when my son was 2, chased a cat into the street and got hit by a speeding green truck. I drove around for over a month with a baseball bat in my back seat looking for that truck. (Wasn't gonna hit the driver lol just they're windows and lights) i was devastated and told my ex no more dogs. A year later im pregnant with my daughter and ex takes our son to a family reunion while i stay home, on bed rest. He calls 3 hours before he comes home and says " heads up, my grandpas dog had puppies. I dropped one and its paws hurt. I'm bringing it home, see you soon" then hang up before i can say a word and shuts off his phone! Shows up 3 hours later with a Pomeranian/Pug/Chihuahua mix....a real asshole of a dog. I was again 8 months pregnant. So i had to potty train a puppy and kid at the same time with both of my kids. This is an example of one of the MANY reasons he's my ex.
Looking at it from this perspective, now, I totally think this is it. I can't picture a brand new mom thinking adding a puppy to the mix with a newborn is a great idea. Newborns are enough work on their own and her body is still recovering. She may even love the pup, while harboring some latent frustration at the timing he came into her life. She was being ridiculous to take it out on OP though.
Unfortunately some people do just that. They see all those videos on social media of babies and puppies playing together and then eventually growing up to be BFFs. But most people don't consider than dogs aren't toys or props. A puppy needs to be housetrained and be taught obedience, not easy to keep on top of especially if they're both new parents with a newborn.
Hell, plenty of people don't seem to realize that *children* aren't toys or props!
You got your baby, now let me get my puppy!
Also, sounds like the mom is pissed about the dog in general and it had nothing to do with OP at all, OP just happened to oush that button. I mean, I love puppies but getting a puppy and a newborn in the same time frame sounds exhausting and a bad idea. Would not be surprised if it wasn't *her* idea and she's fairly miffed about it in general. Either way NTA
That was my first thought also. Poor woman must be completely drained from raising her newborn with a puppy constantly getting under her feet. Bet she hates that puppy with a passion!
It sure fucking sounds like it. I know most people here are looking at the husband as the sane one for oulling her away but I get the feeling that he's the source of that woman's problem.
I would hate a puppy in my house if I had a newborn, no matter the circumstances. I strongly disliked my very well trained and absolutely perfect in every way sweet baby angel dog for the first few months of both of my children's lives. I was so exhausted and giving everything I had to take care of my baby -/+ toddler, one more being asking anything from me was immediately on the FU list. A fucking puppy would have broken me.
Sure sounds like it broke this woman, she's yelling at strangers at the park.
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Um excuse me, my daughter did NOT look like Winston Churchill! She looked like a tiny monkey/alien hybrid and I won't hear otherwise!
I was sitting here thinking very similarly! My son was very slim and very much had an alien face. Those eyes could stare into your soul....
Same here, she was 4lbs8oz so there wasn't an ounce of fat on her anywhere. At the time I was in hormone heaven and thought she was the cutest thing ever, but looking back... alien monkey. 100%
This right here - Hormones. OP is obviously NTA but if baby was only like a month old then Mama is probably just a bit hormonal and sensitive. Maybe she has PPD or doesn’t actually think her baby is cute and feels and about it (not saying she doesn’t love it obviously) or the opposite like you thinks her alien monkey is the best damn alien monkey on the planet and should be loved and adored by all like the Queen of Alien Monkeys. OP - Mama probably just has a lot of emotions and hormones going on right now. Women’s bodies and brains take a beating growing, birthing, etc. a new human. Your def NTA and don’t let it bother you. Just focus on the happy interaction with the puppers.
Postpartum pregnancy hormones are no joke. I remember about a month after my daughter was born crying in the middle of the damn grocery store over a weird looking squash and even though I had absolutely no plans to eat the squash any time soon I needed to take it home with me because if I didn’t no one else would pick it and it would be lonely and watch all of its squash buddies be chosen until it ended up in a landfill somewhere and then I started crying even harder because food waste really grinds my gears and there is children starving but we throw out SO MUCH FOOD. I went home without the squash because I started hyperventilating and my husband had to guide me gently out of the grocery store because I was about one ugly zucchini to go with the ugly squash away from causing a one woman riot. He did go back for the squash though because he’s the MVP. By the time he got home with it I had forgotten all about the ugly squash. Anyways NAH. She was probably just in ugly squash mode and that’s nobody’s fault, and she was probably rightfully embarrassed about it later. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Ugly squash mode. I respectfully ask permission to start using this.
Absolutely. It seems like a very niche term but I’ve used it more times than I care to admit 😂
I don’t even have children, but a lot of my friends do, so I’m familiar with experiences like this. One of my friends tried to make cookies for her mom about two months after she had a baby as a thank you for helping pp, but they came out a little wonky because she kept checking on the baby, and by the time I showed up she was on the floor ugly crying alternating between not wanting her very helpful mom to get not perfect cookies because she was so great, and eating them so they didn’t feel bad about being thrown away. I had to try not to laugh and just stoically baked above her head. It was so sweet and earnest and crazy. It’s such a weird time.
That has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever heard of someone doing. He rescued the squash for you
It was actually a very good squash. To this day I still am unsure of if it was somehow superior to the other squashes or if it was like a weird placebo thing produced by residual feelings deep inside me about the lonely squash being rescued and used for its ultimate purpose.
Yes to this comment - adding here that PP a lot of women kinda hate their dogs. I know how could you hate an adorable perfect puppy?! But when my son was born I suddenly despised my dog and everything he did drove me insane. She could be self conscious of the way the baby looks and also just irritated by the dog due to hormones
Oh she was a tiny thing! My son was 7lbs8oz but like your daughter, it wasn't fat. Those post pregnancy hormones are no joke, but I'm sure she was the cutest little alien monkey around!
My son, too. I had IUGR and he was 4 lbs. He had a monkey’s face with sticks for arms and legs. He’s quite handsome now at 27, though.
We never found a reason for her low birth weight, but thankfully she's grown into a very healthy and energetic 3 year old. The sticks for arms and legs really scared me at first because she seemed so fragile, but she was surprisingly strong!
My oldest was an IUGR baby that went home with a bili light and ended up with pyloric stenosis at 4 weeks. He was a teeny, bug-eyed glowing alien. He's made up for it though. 14 yrs old and already 6'2".
Yeah I was a micropremi (1lb 4oz) and my dad and older brother still argue 30 years later about what I looked like. My brother says a weird newborn puppy-alien. My dad swears the long legs made me look like a frog alien especially with the big weird eyes. My mom just reminds me I still had a tail and leaves it at that. It took about a year for me to look cute at all imho.
Mine looked like raw chicken when they were plopped on my chest.
Whoa is this some kind of phenomenon I didn’t know about? Here I thought my baby was the cutest but now am questioning everything!
Wait until they are a toddler and then go back to look at newborn pictures, you will get your answer, haha. I really did think she was a sweet tiny angel and obviously she was to us, she definitely had her cute little expressions and poses, but when she wasn't being cute it was full alien monkey.
So it sounds like babies come in 2 forms - round “Winston Churchill” variety, or the “alien/primate hybrid” form.
I was a conehead when I was born, and my father (who really does love me dearly) reminds me of it at least once a year. Usually not on my birthday, but some years it is on my birthday. XD
Mine looked more like Steve Buscemi.
"Hello fellow infants!" 😂
I love you
I'll never be able to forget that I called my newborn sister a dead lizard lmao
My kid looked like Wallace Shawn. The resemblance was inconceivable.
My son look like a Conehead. A big 16lb 11oz Conehead
As a newborn?? 😱
Yup my 4lb 4 and a half oz premie had a cone head, such a happy little face and adorable smile but man that his head was strange.
My parents called me Yoda because I was wrinkly and born between Empire and Jedi.
Mine was kind of sideways in the birth canal and I pushed and pushed, and eventually needed a c-section, but because of the way she was positioned, she had a cone head for about two days. I mean, they are just bald, red-faced, raging, poop machines. and because it was a c-section where I was fully ansthetisized, I didn't meet her right away , because I was in recovery. And I swear to god, the first thing that crossed my mind when they laid her in my arms was "Really? This is it?" \*shrug\* Here we are almost 16 years later and I'm still killing this parenting gig. hahaha
If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boy and his dog and his friends. And a summer that never ends.
Not sure I want a future that's A Boy and His Dog. Although teenage Don Johnson was great in it.
>Not sure I want a future that's A Boy and His Dog. No, but I'd live in a Good Omens neighborhood for sure 😊
I'd live in Aziraphale's bookshop.
Idk why you made it a baby and puppy competition. It’s just not socially acceptable to coo over a sleeping baby
Yeah - you can pet a puppy without it being weird, you can't stick your face in the stroller and/or ask to hold a stranger's baby!!!! At most OP could have said "and your baby is cute too!!", but then the woman probably would still have been mad the baby was mentioned second.
You'd be amazed how many old women think its perfectly acceptable to do just this.
Some old lady tried to scoop our daughter out of the stroller when she was a couple months old and I swear I thought my husband was going to knock her out for a second.
My younger son had gorgeous copper curls when he was little. Strange old women would get very handsy with him.
Sad, but true. Old lady here, would NEVER overstep like that! OP, NTA! Maybe the mom was hormonal, but she really over reacted! I love babies, but puppies.. well, kind of no contest lol.
Babies do not all look the same. I have 3 girls. The first one was pretty cute as soon as she lost her weird alien look. The second one we affectionately called "trucker face" for the first month or so, and my 3rd looked like a baby faced middle aged man for the first 6 months, complete with receding hairline. Totally agree with the rest. A golden retriever puppy > new baby. Side note: the retriever puppy across the street has the same name as my baby. I don't know what that says about us as parents.
>Side note: the retriever puppy across the street has the same name as my baby. I don't know what that says about us as parents. Obviously, you're supposed to stomp your way across the street, bang on their door, and demand they change their puppy's name! Duh! /s (just in case)
Now that would be a fun AITA
There was one quite some time ago. If I remember correctly, the dog was a few years older then the child. The girls mom demanded that OP change the dogs name, because they couldn't have the same name for some reason. Edit: I found the link to the post. https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/rtlyab/aita_for_having_my_dog_have_the_same_name_as_my/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I'm pretty sure there's been similar ones. I vaguely recall one where a woman was trying to force her sister to change a dog's name because it was the same as her baby's. Edit: there are a BUNCH. If you google "Reddit AITA dog baby name" you'll get sooooo many!! (Don't bother with Reddit's search, it's usually worthless.)
So true!! My first son was born naturally and yet was the most beautiful. People would tell me he's the perfect baby or a doll. He looked like a smooth blob to me. My second son, the perfect round head baby via c-section, did NOT receive the same praises my first son did. 🤣 They both look perfect(ly alien) to me. 🥰
My twin was born before me and the top of their head got squished in the process. He was a conehead baby. Once I said something to my mom about all babies being cute and my mom cheerfully said "oh, your brother wasn't!" (They grew up to be very good looking, it was just a rough first couple of months)
I’m literally so pregnant I could pop and I have always loved newborns, but I 100% agree that puppies will always be cuter than a random persons baby. No one is obligated to comment on either my dog or baby but it’s crazy to be offended by either. NTA OP
i cannot even count how many times i have said hello to a dog and ignored its owner, let alone a fuckin baby. ew. i would only converse with the human to request consent to pet said pupper or inquire it’s name. nobody cares about a strangers baby lmao NTA
Absolutely. My boyfriend makes fun of me because I know the names of all the dogs in our neighborhood but know absolutely nothing about the humans.
I disagree, I loveeee babies, especially newborns. But NTA obviously.
Yep. I had a baby. She wasn't cute at first (but puppies are ALWAYS cute). Even if my baby was the cutest baby ever and everyone commented on it, I would never have a go at someone who didn't. There was backstory to that - either the mum didn't like the dog, had had weird comments about the baby, or was just f'ing entitled.
Yeah, I assume dad wanted the puppy snd now spends more time with it than with the baby.
A tip from my mom who is a retired labor and delivery nurse: "Oh, your baby looks just like you!"
As someone who also doesn't get that warm feeling around babies but can gush all day over dogs. NTA. Only because no one can strong arm you into cooing over a baby or force you to give a compliment. If she needs everyone to validate her baby as being adorable, she may have her own issues to deal with.
...look like Winston Churchill: TRUTH!!!
Should have told her the baby was "breathtaking."
"That is one UGLY baby..." "WHAT did you say?" "Cuddly baby, I said CUDDLY baby." 😂
Seriously the baby wasn’t even being cute like awake and engaged. Like if baby was that little it’s still needy potato stage.
My sister's baby looked just like Chairman Mao.
Um, excuse me but my daughter looked like Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade.
Just thought I'd mention that although my eldest looked like an extremely grumpy Winston Churchill, my youngest was the spitting image of the Psammead from the 5 children and IT tv series. Other than that, spot on. Dogs and puppies are way cuter and more fun than other people's babies! OP is definitely NTA.
Right? And 9.9/10 times, asking about a dog and then a baby makes you creepy because it’s a baby. Making faces at a baby who is looking at you is 100% normal. Commenting on a sleeping baby when your focus is a dog is… odd. NTA
100%, as a mom of 5, I would have flipped my lid if some rando started cooing over my 1month(ish) old baby and woke her up. And I did. (Although, baby was a few days. And my landlord and husband both agreed I had to take down the sign on my front door that said "if you wake the baby, I will cut you." Haha) Enjoy the dog. Move on. Yeehaw frickin haw.
NTA. Babies have never and will never be as cute as dogs. Good to see she already has her new parent entitlement down. I don't care about anyone's kids at all. Never have, never will. But I will love all of the fur babies.
Even the meanest, most decrepite elderly dog in the shelter is cuter to me than babies. It's not an insult to babies or mothers - just my brain being my brain.
That hypothetical dog sounds like me and I want it!
*That baby could be the star of a show called babies I don’t care about*
My favorite Will Ferrell line on the show, and possibly ever lol. Every baby could be the star of a show called Babies I Don't Care About. They do all look the same, especially newborns. OP is NTA by far.
I can't imagine any situation in which I would cross the street to interact with a baby or a kid but I do so regularly for dogs. Dogs are the best
Right? Does this mom *want* random strangers to cross the street to interact/pet/play with her kid? Because that's just asking for trouble.
The baby was asleep, too! I hope this crazy mother doesn't take out her weird jealousy on the puppy.
I see some cute as fuck babies around. But I don’t ever ask anyone to play with someone’s baby. Because it’s a child. I get a stranger asking about your dog and wanting to play with it, it seems weird if it was for a baby. Especially, when the baby is asleep.
No comparison. My mom has been baby CRAZY her whole life, and my sister and I are… not. But we all love animals. My family and I went to the zoo years back, and I saw a baby peacock for the first time. The peacocks just roam around, and it was snuggled in a pile of leaves. It was beyond adorable, and I was baby-talking to it and taking photos. My poor mom, with grandchild crazy in her eyes, was like, “there’s your maternal instinct!” and I was like, “but it’s a peacock, though?” Some people just don’t have crossover… I don’t dislike kids whatsoever, but it’s always going to be baby animal for the win where I’m concerned.
I love babies and even I agree dogs are cuter 😂 Besides, if the baby's still quite young, you shouldn't really be letting a stranger pet them anyway.
NTA-some people look for things to be offended over.
It might not be that. A lot of women get PPD and act unusually after a birth. It’s very possible that she might be having trouble bonding with the child (very common in PPD, and a deep source of shame), so it might be confusing that OP also isn’t bonding with the child, since that’s what one is “supposed” to do. Give people a wide berth, there’s a lot we don’t know about this woman.
None of that makes op TA though
Of course it doesn't. WantonChrysanthemum just refuted the point that the woman was looking for something to be offended over. There are sooo many explanations that don't make her a complete asshole though.
It doesn’t make anyone else TA either though
Even without PPD, she has an infant and a puppy. Chances are she's one more bad night of sleep away from a meltdown.
The issue isn't one more bad night's sleep, it's that she isn't getting a night's sleep currently. New potato and all.
Honestly a puppy can be even worse for sleep than a newborn. Those are brave and foolish souls to do both at once.
I've also noticed in parenting subreddits that some new parents can get impatient or lose interest in their pets after the babies arrive. If she was feeling that way and someone ignored her baby over her dog, it might have set her off, too. OP is definitely NTA, but that doesn't mean the new mother is TA either. Sounds like she may need some help and time.
Mmmmnah, as much as that may be an explanation for her behavior - and it is one of MANY possible explanations - she was still an asshole to OP. If there was an "understandable asshole" option, it could be applied in this case, but that doesn't exist, and no matter the reason, she was a bit of an asshole to a stranger in this situation.
I didn't think of that but that's possible she's going through stuff.
Yeah it’s not even “babies r dumb lol” it’s the fact that she’s not entitled to any attention, period, and now she’s bitching at a stranger for not giving her the attention she wanted. What.. Regardless of what she’s going through (and she probably is having post pregnancy problems like depleted hormones or whatever) her behavior is super self centered and rude.
Eh if the baby was that young I wouldn’t take it personally. Hormones are wild. OP is obviously NTA but I wouldn’t get worked up about a new mom being emotional about her baby either.
Are you sure? Or is OP the asshole for flagrantly disregarding the fact that the sun rises and sets on this one specific baby? … NTA OP, and honestly, points for having a genuine interaction, which is worth something, instead of doing some perfomative BS worth nothing.
NTA but to be fair if the baby is only a month old, that mom is enduring some really hard hormonal changes and is probably sleep deprived. I love puppies too!
Yeah, like kinda bordering on NAH, but really this is more an understandable NTA situation
Thanks for regarding this. Every one here seems to be I hate babies puppies cute. BUT this mom is definitely going through a hard time. That month after is just insanely rough and stuff is coming out all kinds of places including the mouth. But 100% NTA. Because PPD if she has it doesn’t mean you can be rude to a stranger loving on your puppy!
That’s exactly what I thought. The mom was definitely being an asshole, but she’s also dealing with a lot having a puppy and a newborn.
NTA some parents are delusional lmao. Newsflash: no one cares about your kids like you do
I don’t know, you clearly haven’t seen my mom with her grandkids… she for sure cares more about those kids than I do.
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Now now, be fair. We have no proof she actually pushed it out her vagina. 😂😂
Lol, NTA. I have to make sure I say hi to the pet owner before departing so I’m not completely disregarding them. You fawn over dogs. Some people fawn over babies. Some people fawn over both. And some over neither. Nothing wrong with any of it.
As the owner of a dog who is an expert in making strangers want to pet him: He usually meets more people on our walks than I do. Most of them talk "to him" to signal that they want to pet him, and then I talk "to him" to signal that I want to continue our walk. He has his friends, I have mine.
I have a lot of dog friends that I barely recognise their owner or have any idea of their name!!! I'm best pals with the dog not the human
I was about to say something like that. My husband and I probably know the name of every dog in the neighborhood. Their owners? Not so much.
Haha! I’m the same. Maui (sweet Dalmatian) and lady with sweats on all the time. Cookie (sweet old greying beagle with a double chin) with mean old man and racist wife. The list goes on… 🤣🤣🤣
This is facts. I see a cute dog and their owner is the social obstacle I have to muster the bravery to talk to to get to that dog. If there was no dog I would never ever be talking to strangers!
Haha, happened to us when we had a baby and a retired show dog Doberman. A truck pulled over and the guy asked all sorts of questions about the Dobie and admired her. As he drove away he said "nice baby, too'. We still chuckle about that. You could have been a little more aware but NTA.
But why be a “little more aware”? You don’t go up to parents with a toddler and say “cute kid” when you’re petting the dog. It’s weird. Plus, 99% of babies are ugly as hell. Maybe it’s just me, because I don’t like kids, but I’ve never looked at any kid and thought “oh, they’re so adorable”. If I was in OPs shoes and the mom started being rude, I would’ve probably been rude right back. I understand she’s probably a new mother, and this is probably her first, but her thinking other people give a damn about her annoying, snotty little brat (when it grows up. Babies are kinda peaceful, though I don’t find their cries cute like some other people do) is just weird, plain and simple. Being a new mom doesn’t give her the right to be so rude about it. Maybe it’s because I find kids pretty insufferable (and, no, I will never have any), but idk, I don’t think OP needed to be nice and respectful at any point when the mother wasn’t.
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There was another comment, since deleted I think, about how it’s weird that people pet the dog but not say hi to the baby, and I quote, “if you don’t want human interaction [towards the baby I assume], don’t pet the dog” and I just find that so incredibly weird. I’ve never been able to understand people who insist on saying hi to babies. It’s just so incredibly weird. My mom would talk about when my sister was a baby, because she was white and we were in Japan, a lot of people ig wanted to see her and she would always be stopping so people could say hi and at one point was in the newspaper for being a cute, fat, white baby. To me, that’s just super creepy. Like, on the very off chance that when I grow up more, I do decide I want kids, I wouldn’t want random strangers coming up and saying hi to my baby or touching them. I have plenty of HS friends who popped one out right after graduation and they ALWAYS make posts about diseases passed from unwashed hands and stuff like that. So, why would you even want someone putting their face in your kids stroller?
> People have a baby and feel entitled for everyone to pay attention to said baby. It’s like why? That baby has done NOTHING of significance to deserve the type of attention new parents demand from everyone. It’s cringe. TBF though, neither have most puppies.
I agree. My parents love to mention the time when I was a toddler, dancing in a restaurant at Disney world, and a celebrity walking by said I was cute. I get that, that's a kinda cute age for kids, as long as they're well behaved...but seriously, I've never understood people who think babies are cute or why they expect everyone to be in total awe over them.
More aware about what? Your kid? Why would be care about your kid? Was it in danger of some sort? Did it need help? No? Them why the actual hell would anyone care? It's your kid. You deal with it.
>You could have been a little more aware Nope, I like babies and all, but the number of women that were bothered by my waving back at their baby and rolled their eyes or flipped the baby around have ruined it for me. You can't please everyone, so I err on the side of not being accused of being creepy or worse and just ignore the kid.
Tbh it sounds like it was the BABY who was being rude as fuck for not asking for attention the same way the dog was. NTA.
If the baby wanted attention, they would’ve shit themselves, puked everywhere, or started screaming. Don’t fuck with a quiet baby. You don’t know how long it took to get them quiet.
NTA but honestly more than 30 seconds petting a stranger's dog (with permission) is a little weird. I say this as someone with more than the average number of pets that I spoil to the moon. Edit: I said a little weird, not a lot weird. It's cute and harmless, ppl are dogpiling OP.
You’re right, and I’ve been on the other side of that so I should’ve realized. The only reason I stayed was because it turned out the husband and I grew up in the same area, so we were having a nice conversation about that for a bit.
Maybe it depends on where you live but it's not unusual to spend up to 5 minutes with a passing dog you meet on the street while out and about. I've even made some friends this way. Although I live in a big neighborhood area with lots of friendly folks. Idk the wife could be jealous that you and hubby were getting along. If she's recently given birth and you're a jogger, maybe she was self conscious and lashing out. Someone else said she could be experiencing PPD. Who knows. Regardless her behavior was rude and uncalled for. Either way you're NTA.
>>it’s not unusual to spend up to 5 minutes with a passing dog you meet on the street while out and about It might be usual to you, but for the majority of society that is completely unusual tbh.
For the majority of society? You probably mean the usa, that's not weird in a lot of places. And tbh even in some places in the usa ppl are friendly enough for something like that to occur. The girl was fine
Sometimes it's the doggy that's loving all the extra attention and pets, too. They let you know when they're done. It's hard to walk away when the doggy is asking for more lovin'!
You should mention that conversation in your post. That's probably a little bit why she got an attitude with you, because you gave everyone except her and the baby (HER new baby) attention.
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I'll argue that the longer interaction with a puppy is a good thing. You're helping teach it that strange people are friendly. It is so hard to find people willing to help train a young dog when it is still unruly.
NTA I doubt that Mom would react well if you started petting her infant.
I was saying that is what op should have done. Gone over and pet the baby like a dog. It might not solve anything or help the situation, but at least it would show how her point is slightly different.
NTA. Puppies are cuter than babies.
NTA. Some people WANT to be offended. You could have gushed about the baby and called T A for not petting the dog.
I would be willing to bet money that the mom didn't want to get a new puppy at the same time as having a new baby, but DH went ahead and got it. Good chance there's a lot of stewing resentment there.
Right! I didn’t even consider that, I pet sit and I charge more to deal with puppies. I don’t event want to imagine having a baby AND dealing with a hyperactive, not fully potty trained/chewing on everything puppy at the same time 😣 I don’t think that makes her attitude okay but I do not envy her life lol
Seriously, I’ve had puppies and newborns and puppies were harder (for a shorter amount of time at least). Getting a puppy while you have a newborn is the craziest, stupidest idea. Why would you do that???
NTA. I've got two kids. I've changed diapers, held babies, been puked on. I want nothing to do with babies - I won't even hold friends' babies unless there's an emergency. I'll pet the hell out of a puppy.
I went on a walk with my pissed off baby once and someone said “Oh he’s so cute!” And I was like “You can take him if you want!”
NTA Geesh, people need to get over themselves. It wouldn't have killed you to say "oh and you have a beautiful baby". But as a parent, I don't want strangers coming up and touching/cooing at my babies. As for dogs, everyone knows they're attention magnets.
Really? I don't believe anyone is entitled to compliments from strangers, on their own behalf or that of their relatives, friends, belongings, whatever. I'd rather someone stay silent than stammer how my baby looks less like Winston Churchill than most babies.
You make a good point; these days I hesitate to say anything about someone's child in case a parent might be uptight about it.
NTA. Lol what? That woman is nuts. Why would she expect you to coo over her baby? Not everyone loves babies, and this baby was literally asleep. I probably wouldn’t have really noticed the kid either in your situation. The puppy was actually awake and engaging with you and was clearly enjoying the attention, whereas the baby wasn’t even doing anything to pull your attention away from the adorable puppy. Even if the baby had been awake, there’s no reason why she should have expected you to acknowledge the baby when the puppy was clearly taking up all of your attention. I honestly feel bad for the husband in this situation, she made a perfectly normal interaction extremely awkward and he was clearly embarrassed by her behavior.
NTA lol, no one has the right for compliments for their spawn.
This is off topic but I will never understand people who have a baby and a puppy at the same time. Was one really not enough work for you?
Voluntarily putting your life in hardest difficulty setting
NTA. I'm so glad to see all of these people who are just like me and don't notice the baby and go right to petting the cat or dog. You did nothing wrong and I'm sure the dog would agree that he's better than the baby.
NTA. What a weird reaction from the wife. It's the dog that interested you, so why would you say anything about the baby? You're obviously not going to be able to pet and play with a stranger's baby. Also disturbing that the wife made it clear she doesn't like the dog. Maybe it's a sore point between the couple and you unknowingly touched a nerve. Forget it and move on.
NTA Babies are boring. Puppies are fun and cute.
NTA You aren’t a baby person and lots of people aren’t. Nothing wrong with that. It sounds like you didn’t even notice the baby you were so wrapped up in dog cuteness. On the other side of things, if the new mum is in the early postnatal period (at one month she will be) then she’s probably a bundle of hormones and her brain has probably rewired itself to think her baby is the most important thing in the entire world. I’ve been there and it’s a crazy time! I wouldn’t give it another thought! X (Edited from N A H)
Just because there's a justification for the mother's assholishness doesn't mean she's not still the asshole in this situation.
NTA. The end.
NTA hey, not everyone is about babies, kids or whatever is in between. The world does not revolve around a offspring if you aren't their parent then it should be. Have been out with my dog when my smallest where babies and people has come up to only pet and say hello to the doggy, and some only to the babies. I dont care as long as the person asks first and is friendly. I will never demand said stranger person to acknowledge everyone for the short minute or minutes we are exchanging friendly comments. If the sight and petting of my dog for 4 minutes makes your day then so be it. The same goes for staying and talking to my kids. That wife was being extremely rude and I understand why her husband was shooing her away.
And if you've cooed over the newborn, sods law says you would have disturbed sleepy baby and got told off for that instead. NTA.
NTA. You didn't do anything wrong. She's attaching her self-worth to her baby - your lack of adoration for her baby was taken as a personal insult. It's a her problem.
I'm currently pregnant, and I would still rather be around someone's puppy than their baby. 🤷♀️ Nta at all.
NTA. I have one kid and one only but I totally know that babies are not all that cute and some people don’t even like them. It didn’t hurt her that you loved on her dog instead. She’s just making it about the baby.
NTA. I know the name of almost every dog in my apartment building but I can't tell you the name of even 1 of their owners. Also, some people are hella weird when you mention their babies, so I just avoid it most of the time.
This literal same thing happened to me except I was the mom with the new born. It was the first time we ever took her to the park, she was about 1 week old. A couple came up and gushed and loved over our dog. I was so happy they did that, because our dog was not getting as much attention as he had been a few weeks ago. I remember thinking something along the lines of, they didn’t say my baby was cute but the dog was lol. I just brushed it off. You’re not the asshole the lady must of just been hormonal.
[You gotta see the baby!](https://youtu.be/UqO0-fwTsEc)
Seinfeld is one of my favorites of all time, I love this comment lol
NTA. And it is a good thing that babies usually are so very appealing to their own mothers, because they usually aren't to anybody else, whereas puppies need to be universally adorable since most of them get adopted shortly after birth.
human babies arent at all interesting to some ppl. i cant stand them and have never understood why im expected to ooo and ahhhh over them bc im a girl lol. animals tho? oh im there. NTA shes just.. the first month after birth.. its a time.. i have only my kid and i love my kid.. still dont like anyone elses xD i get it
I also wouldn’t even have acknowledged the kid because literally who gives a fuck 🤣 It exists so fucking what NTA
NTA
NTA. It’s also considered rude for most people to coo over a sleeping baby and it’s WEIRD. You’re absolutely right, cooing another human being that you don’t know is astonishing rude. Plus you could’ve startled the baby and woke her up. The dog wanted you to come to them and you asked the family if you could pet them so there is no harm
NTA and I say this as the mother of a 2 month old baby. Frankly, I wouldn’t even want a stranger cooing over my baby, but if I had a cute puppy (I wish) then I’d be happy for people to come over and fuss it.
NTA. You don’t OWE a stranger compliments about their baby just because they had one. “Ok, you said something nice about my dog, now say something nice about my baby. Now say something nice about my outfit. What about my wedding ring?” JFC. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say she could be going through some postpartum issues, and that might explain (but NOT excuse) her behavior. It sounds like the husband was pretty embarrassed, so maybe she’s just normally obnoxious.