“Small Town Drama, Splash Pads, and Small Minds: A Rant, a Reality Check, and a Reminder.”

Let me paint the picture:
I live in a small town. So small, in fact, that the “mall” here is Walmart. If you want to go to a real mall, you better pack a lunch and fill up your gas tank — it’s a whole hour away. And honestly, even that’s a stretch, because nowadays everything’s online anyway — from food delivery to birthday gifts.

But here’s the thing: I’m a little old school. I like to touch and feel the things I’m buying. I miss the days when my cousin and I would get dropped off at the mall just to hang out, wander around, and lose ourselves in Books-A-Million. We’d get food from the food court, read books for hours, and just be. That was our peace.

Fast forward to now: there’s hardly anything for kids to do around here besides an overpriced movie theater and a splash pad. And honestly? Even the splash pad comes with drama. 🙃

The Incident That Started It All

I posted anonymously (for safety reasons — stalkers are a thing, okay?) about something that happened at the splash pad with my daughter. She’s five. She’s autistic. And she wanted to play. That’s it. That’s the whole crime.

Some kids teased her — would engage with her just long enough to mock her or make fun of her, even throwing around racial remarks (yeah, we caught that too), and then ran off laughing. I spoke up, as any parent should. I said, “It’s okay baby, you can play where you want!”

Apparently, that rubbed some people the wrong way. And suddenly, I was “forcing” my kid to play with kids who didn’t want to be bothered. People jumped in with their assumptions, completely missing the actual point.

Let’s clear this up real quick:

• No, I don’t force my child to play with others.
• No, I wasn’t whispering in her ear telling her to follow them.
• Yes, she is still learning. Because she’s five. And autistic. And doing her best.

What I do tell my daughter every time we go out is:
“Some kids might not want to play with you, and that’s okay. Keep playing. Be kind. Be your amazing, authentic self.”

Cue the Small-Minded Commentary

Then came the classic comments like:
“Yes, she can play where she wants, but if someone tells her to leave them alone, she should.”
Cool. That’s valid — in a general sense. But again, she’s FIVE. She’s not a little adult with fully developed social reasoning. She’s a child still figuring it out.

Then there was the gem:
“And this mother not teaching her kid to leave others alone just to get mad at another child.”
First of all — how do you know what this mother teaches her child? Oh wait, you don’t. Maybe take a quick Google search before speaking on someone else’s parenting. Or hey, I’ve got book recommendations if that helps. 😊

Another person said:
“Parents shouldn’t force kids to play with others if they don’t want to. Adults don’t let everyone in their circles.”
Ma’am. We’re talking about kids at a splash pad. Not grown adults networking at a business conference. Sit down.

Then someone said it didn’t even happen and pulled the old “$200, Alex” joke. Were you there? No? Then sit down twice.

And the cherry on top — someone said I copied and pasted the story from somewhere else. LMAO. Okay Sherlock. If it were copy-pasted, it’d be word-for-word. It’s not. And maybe instead of jumping to conclusions, you should be asking yourself why stories like this are so familiar to begin with. Hmm?

Here’s the Truth:

I don’t regret posting what I did. I expected criticism — that comes with opening your mouth in a world full of loud opinions. But the real ones understood the message:
Raise kids who know how to be kind.
Not best friends with everyone. Not pushovers. But decent little humans who know the difference between “I don’t feel like playing right now” and “let’s be mean to the weird kid.” There’s a difference between not vibing with someone and actively mocking them. That’s learned behavior — and it’s learned from you, parents.

Saying “the world isn’t nice” isn’t a reason to raise unkind kids. It’s a cop-out. It’s lazy parenting. And the fact that people defended this behavior tells me everything I need to know.

I know I touched a few nerves — you don’t get that defensive unless you’re uncomfortable. But that’s not my problem. I said what I said.

Final Thoughts:

This town is small. The mindset? Even smaller. There’s barely any opportunity, and growth is stifled by the very people clinging to outdated ways. Everything from job growth to entertainment is gatekept under the guise of “protecting small business” — but what about giving people options? What about kids having fun and people having access to more than two dang grocery stores — yes, we’ve got Walmart and Market Basket, congrats — but that’s it?

I’m done sharing things in those toxic community groups. I got way more support than hate, yes — but I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll stick to my own platform where I don’t have to censor my truth to make small minds feel comfortable.

To everyone who’s taken the time to read my blog — whether you just discovered it or you’ve been following my thoughts for a while — thank you. Your support, your kind messages, your shares, your encouragement… it all means more than you know.

This space is where I speak my truth, unfiltered, and it’s a comfort knowing there are people out there who get it. People who are open-minded, compassionate, and willing to hear someone out without jumping to conclusions.

So, thank you for continuing to walk this road with me — even when it gets bumpy, even when it gets real. I see you. I appreciate you. And I’m just getting started.

💬 Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments — your voice matters here too.