A reader recently sent us a letter detailing a confrontation that started like a classic line-cutting standoff: a mother with an infant tried to skip a queue with the fierce declaration, “I HAVE A BABY.” What began as a frustrating public clash over entitlement quickly escalated into a debate over responsibility and respect.
I was after work in a long line at a government office trying to get a single stupid paper stamped, dead tired. A woman with a baby carrier walked past everyone and tried to slide in front of me like it was a FastPass.She didn’t ask. She didn’t make eye contact.Just parked her cart in front of mine and said loudly, “I HAVE A BABY.”I said, “I get that, but the line starts back there.”She turned around like I’d insulted motherhood itself.“Wow. Seriously? You won’t let a mom with an infant go first?”Someone behind me muttered, “We all have lives.”