Don't judge me by the baby....

For the past 24 hours, I've been toting around a 18 month-old.
It has been absolutely bizarre.
I took her to Wal-mart, and received the condenscending smile from older women (the one that says "Aw... Look at the little slut...).
Then, I have the immense pleasure of taking her to the theatre for play practice.
She did quite well in the theatre.
She followed me around as I moved props about on the stage, and found a new hiding spot inside the mast.
Once Carol (the Tech Goddess) arrived and started playing music, Nevaeh gave quite a show of doing her little baby dance onstage as I clapped and thumped along.
After rehearsal, she became slightly demonic and I brought her home.
Bathing a small child proved to be quite a task, to be sure.
lol
After combing her hair and giving her a bottle, I wisked her away to her crib.
This morning, we had to go to Kroger to get chinese food ingredients.
I loath taking a small child into a big store like Kroger or Wal-mart for the simple fact that I know I will be judged.
Especially in Circleville.
A younger woman, with a young child, sans wedding ring = Somebody's baby mama.
Nevertheless, we made our way to the store.
I found it interesting that I received different looks from the total strangers.
Normally, I'm just a young woman, doing my own thing.
But, today, as I asked the employee to point me in the direction of the rice, I received a smile as the eyes darted from Nevaeh to myself.
Again, I found that pushing the cart, and narrowly missing an impact with an elderly lady, my apologies were met with not a snide "It's okay," but a "Oh, it's alright, dear. Go right on ahead."
Strange.
When I asked a male employee for the green onions, I did not receive the "How you doin'?" smile I tend to get, but the "They are right here, Ma'am."
VERY strange.
I guess the adorable little girl, chugging her bottle, and I in my peacoat and Vera Bradley purse, wearing an expression of urgency, kinda gave off the "married woman doing her morning errands" vibe, and not the "White trash baby mama" vibe.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I was in Kroger and not Wal-mart...
Hmmm...
Coming from a sociological standpoint, I realize that people (especially those who inhabit a small town) tend to pass automatic judgement and predjudice on others, such as young women toting around a child or two.
It is hilarious to think on, yet I know that I too am guiltly of such immediate assumptions.
It's just another example of NOT judging a book by its cover...