Your kid is making me nervous

I was at the park with my then 2 year old.  He is an active kid and was in seventh heaven running through is usual obstacle course – the monkey bars from which he would intentionally drop to the ground several feet away, climbing up the upward spiral poll, then navigating across the bridge of the play structure on the outside by holding on to the rails and bars.  I know it sounds dangerous and I spent several months trying to discourage the behavior or follow him around in case he fell. I finally realized that:

• He really seems to crave that degree of intensity of physical activity
• He never seemed to fall or hurt himself
• He wasn’t hurting anyone else or getting in their way

So, I started to relax.  I kept a watchful eye on him, but I stopped following him through the circuit with my arms poised to catch him if he fell.  I was comfortable with that evolution, but another parent at the playground evidentially was not.

HER: “Your kid is making me nervous.  Can you get him down from there?”

ME:  “I know it looks a little dangerous, but he’s actually very coordinated.”

HER:  “How old is me?”

ME:  “Almost three.”

HER:  “I wouldn’t let my child do that even when he was six.  You are an unfit mother.”

AN UNFIT MOTHER.  All because I let my child take the physical risks he seemed to crave.  It’s so interesting how people judge each other without taking into account that different temperaments require different parenting. 

The woman continued to berate me.  Lacking a better option, I just ignored her.  A few days later when retelling the story, a friend armed me with a much better comeback.  She suggested making a rude comment, like “You look really fat in those jeans” followed closely by “I’m sorry.  I thought we were giving each other unsolicited advice.”

 Has this ever happened to you?  Any good anecdotes or advice to share?