It's not 'special treatment' -- I'm advocating common courtesy for us moms! (Is that so wrong?)

I just posted to my personal Facebook page a brief account of a parking lot encounter I had this afternoon, so I decided it would make an interesting blog entry tonight.  Right after lunch, I decided to take my 14-month old son out for a walk in his stroller, to head to the Oakhurst Post Office [I am disclosing details, just in case the offender driving a dark-color, luxury sedan ever reads this!] to mail some letters.  I have a car, of course, but it was a gorgeous day out!  So, while I knew the post office was near a busy intersection, I felt it would be too lazy of me to drive less than a half-mile.  Exercise and fresh air does a body good!  

Well, I hope I'm not being hormonal here, but please hear me out (I hate that excuse, but I'll give you that if you think I'm overreacting.). After my business was done and as I was leaving the building, the man who walked out three feet in front of me did NOT hold the door open for me.  One, he clearly knew I was pregnant.  Two, I don't normally care if you hold a door for me if you're not that close to me, but my stroller's front wheel could've nipped his heels...we were that close.  I mean, he didn't have to hold the door for me just for being pregnant or with a toddler, but because it's common courtesy.  I hold the doors for people all the time!  

The bigger insult came when I was leaving the parking lot. I'll admit I wasn't speed walking, but I did check behind me and didn't see any cars coming down the post office driveway.  Suddenly, a man driving a sedan honked at me, which made me literally jump.  Appparently I was crossing the pavement a bit too slow for him.  Again, I had A STROLLER, which he saw without a doubt.  He may not have seen my BELLY, but who the heck honks at a woman pushing a stroller???  When I turned to say a quasi-rude, "Well, SORRRRRY!" he undoubtedly saw the universal sign of pregnancy.  Since I was toting a toddler to boot, you'd think he'd be a bit embarrassed.  (A "Whoopsie, didn't see that. Sorry, ma'am" was not uttered.)  Nope, this guy says out his car window, "They should have sidewalks for you." I was kind of caught of guard with his rudeness, so I said (now I'm mad I didn't have a more biting retort), "Clearly they don't, and that's the problem." 

Again, whatever happened to common courtesy?

Ok, so I'm not promoting 20% Mom Discount for Macy's, Shop Rite, or even McDonald's (thought that would be super nice!), but where did good, ole' fashioned manners disappear to?  We're supposed to be "nicer" to senior citizens -- 'respect your elders' -- and we take amazingly extra-special care of babies, children, the sick and the disabled.  So why is it not standard for folks to open doors for someone with a stroller, or to let the pregnant lady with a pint of ice cream in her hand ahead of your packed shopping cart at the grocery line, or to cut some slack to the mom with three crying (or loud) kids on a plane. [OK, admittedly, that last one is the hardest.  No one wants to have a screaming infant sitting next to them on an airplane, but now that I have a child, I sympathize so much more!  It's not her fault -- or the baby's!  We shouldn't give glaring looks like, "Can't you just muzzle that toddler?"  Because, no -- she cannot.]  Aren't those just nice, human, compassionate things to do?

Am I suggesting we moms get special treatment?  Not really... I'm just suggesting we remember to be NICE TO PEOPLE and to do what's right.  

Anyone else ever been heckled for doing something mom-related?  Anyone ever received the 'eye-rolls' when you show up to a restaurant with your kids in tow?  Anyone annoyed that no one ever opens the door for you?  I'd love to hear your stories... I'm sure you've got some maddening -- and hilarious -- ones!