When I was 5 or 6 years old, I remember being completely obsessed with penguins and reading as much about them as possible. As kids, we are easily fascinated by the smallest of things, but nature and its oh-so-amazing creatures probably top the list.
Even the original poster’s (OP) kid saw a snail on a hiking trail and couldn’t avert his eyes from it. In fact, he wanted to share his excitement with an old passerby, whom he called over to check out the tiny creature, but the old fellow pushed him aside, which totally angered his father! More info: Reddit
Children are completely fascinated by nature and its diverse creatures and love to watch their movement
The poster was hiking with his 4-year-old son and dog when the kid spotted a snail on a tree and was observing it with fascination
An old man was approaching with his dog and the kid was excited to see the lab, so he called them over to check out the snail
However, the old man pushed the little kid aside, completely angering the poster, who asked the man to apologize to his son
The old man tried to argue that the kid was blocking the trail, but looking at the poster, he just mumbled an apology and walked away
In today’s story, Reddit user hadriantheteshlor tells us how he snapped at a random old stranger for mistreating his 4-year-old son. What happened was that the poster was hiking with his child and dog, and it was a beautiful day, so they were enjoying their time in the woods.
His son found a snail on a tree and they stopped to observe it, as the kid was completely thrilled to see it. That’s when he saw an old man approach them with his Labrador, and the kid got more excited. Well, he invited the man and his dog to come look at the snail, saying, “Come on come on, look at the snail! It's got a..."
However, before the little fellow could complete his sentence, the old man went ahead and pushed him out of the way, and all hell broke loose. The poster was furious at the man’s audacity and sense of entitlement and demanded that he apologize to the kid.
The stranger started defending himself by stating that the kid was blocking his path, but the poster was not gonna give up. Looking at the determined look on OP’s face, the man backed down, mumbled an apology, and walked away.
Probably stunned by the old guy's extremely violent reaction, the poster narrated the story online and folks were equally furious.
Psychotherapist Richard B. Joelson narrates in an article, “The Boomers (once called the 'Me' Generation) have the reputation of being more narcissistic than other generations. Because of the times they grew up in, they have always been fascinated with themselves. As a generation, they have a sense of entitlement and see themselves as superior to others.”
Many people were aghast by the old man’s sense of entitlement in the story and the fact that he felt it was okay to push a child. Others applauded the poster and his paternal instincts that kicked in and they claimed that even they would be furious if someone touched their children.
A few Redditors also brought up the subject of how some people strongly hate kids, and Facebook groups like “this is why I hate children” are probably a testimony to it. People expressed that this hate is quite unnatural, and even if they do hate them, they have no right to be violent towards them.
Some also expressed concern about how the kid might’ve felt when all he did was be excited and try to share it with the old guy. However, the poster commented that his son forgot about it pretty quickly and went back to observing the snail.
People also found the kid’s fascination quite adorable and shared some interesting snail facts in the comments for the 4-year-old. What about you? What are your thoughts about the story? Also, if you were in the poster’s shoes, how would you have handled the violent old man?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Folks were shocked by the entitled old man but applauded the poster for making him apologize, meanwhile, they also shared snail facts for the kid
