I have worked with the public for almost fifteen years now. From customer service to bartending, I know for a fact that the human race is beyond frustrating and irritating beyond belief. So when I see a story about someone doing something wrong and causing a ruckus about it for no particular reason other than to just stir up some unnecessary drama, it really grinds my gears. I can’t count the number of times that a customer has been extremely wrong over the years, so you can excuse me right now when I say, I would prefer to not have my delicious Chick-Fil-A with a side of breast milk.
I know that I’m going to offend (and confuse) some people by saying that, but I’m sorry that I’m not sorry when I say that you should expose your breasts in public. What I’m referring to with that comment is about the story I saw yesterday where a woman was politely told by a manager in a North Dakota Chick-Fil-A that she either had to cover her breast while she was breastfeeding or she had to leave, citing that it was creating an uncomfortable environment for employees and other customers in the building. The mother told the manager if that was the case, they needed to practice looking away, and then took to Facebook to talk about her “terrible” experience. Of course then, the Chick-Fil-A manager had to apologize, because once again as the old saying goes, the customer is always right.
Problem #1 I have with this story – This woman said that her child “doesn’t prefer to be covered up while breastfeeding.” Once again, I’m sorry that I’m not sorry when I say this, did your child personally tell you that? Did your tiny infant tell you, “Mom I’m sorry I prefer not to have my face covered while I’m having lunch, can you please expose your breast and me to the world so they can take it all in?” Your child might get fussy, but they learn to deal with it if you make it a routine and something that they can get used to. If that is the case, then there are breast pumps and other products out there to assist in your “breast needs” so that you do not have to expose your breast in a public place. Also, you could go to another area that isn’t so out in the open for the world to see.
Problem #2 I have with this story – Being inconsiderate towards others. While I don’t have children and know nothing about breastfeeding, I know that being a woman is complicated enough as is, especially with a child that is depending on you to provide them with “lunch.” But we live in a society where we should be considerate of other people and how we are making them feel in situations. Just the idea of having to explain to a child at lunch what is happening at the table across from them sounds beyond complicated to me, let alone trying to understand it as an adult who knows what is happening. I get it – it’s natural, it’s beautiful – but you try explaining that to a toddler who just wants to eat their chicken nuggets and play in the ball pin area why their mother is pulling out their “no-no” parts in public.
Problem #3 I have with this story – The need to call out the manager for doing her job. There is always this unnecessary need to please the most unruly customers and I’m sorry, but in this case, you aren’t right mama. I doubt that this manager was just looking for a fight or for someone to yell at. When a manager has to step in and handle a situation like this, it is because someone in the restaurant has brought it to their attention. It wasn’t like she was saying that she was a bad mother or telling her something evil. She was giving her the option of covering herself or leaving. Also let’s take into account, the manager was a woman. If anything, she is trying to be more understanding of the situation for the mother, as well as the customers who feel uncomfortable in the situation. If you were acting out or doing something else that was inappropriate and making the other customers feel uncomfortable, you would be asked to do the same thing in this situation. There is absolutely no reason to fault this woman for doing her job in trying to keep everyone in the restaurant happy and comfortable enough to enjoy their delicious chicken sandwiches.
Ginger Views: I will forever love my Chick-Fil-A without a side of breast milk. Sometimes the customer is ridiculously wrong and in this case, the manager was right the first time she handled the situation (before she was forced to apologize). There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss waiting on tables or having to deal with insane customer complaints. It is beyond crazy to think that a woman could lose her job over someone being as inconsiderate as this mother. While I’m not a mother and won’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of breast feeding, there are steps that you can take in order to make the situation less uncomfortable for those around you; instead of insisting that the world conform to you and your child’s needs. Needless to say, this is not going to stop me and my love for some delicious chicken nuggets and waffle fries!
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the breast exposing story that I’m referring to and think that I’m just going off on a tangent about breastfeeding in public, you can find the fully exposed story here at Fox News.
Originally published on Ginger Views Blog
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