Poop, Pineapple, Triple Paste and Splash Pads: Lessons from This Mom Right Here

So, when you move to the suburbs and finally find a mom who lives around the corner—someone you think you can actually go on playdates with—you’d assume she’d be there to help when you need it, right? Wrong.

I took my three-year-old to a splash pad/outdoor museum with a new “friend” and her son. My son loves pineapple (who doesn’t?), but what I didn’t know was that the acid in pineapple could damage his skin. He was having the time of his life, jumping and splashing, when suddenly… poopy diaper alert. He tried to keep playing, but the diaper was clearly bothering him, and then he started crying.

The other mom? Sat there, oblivious.

I quickly told her, “I’ll be right back,” and rushed my son to the bathroom. Laying him on the changing table, I removed his diaper—and my stomach dropped. His skin was burned and peeling off from the pineapple acid. Panic doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cleaned him up, changed him, and then we went to tell the other mom we were leaving.

Her response? Crickets. Literal. Nothing. Not an “oh my gosh,” not a “are you okay?” Nothing.

From that moment on, she was basically dead to me. That is not the kind of support I want or need. I make it a point to surround my family with people we can rely on—people who actually show up.

We called the doctor when we got home. She explained that the acid from the pineapple in his poop, pressed against his skin, had caused a burn. Healing would take time, and she gave us a prescription—but I also hunted down over-the-counter remedies and found Triple Paste. Lifesaver. It soothed the pain immediately and helped his skin heal faster. I still keep it handy to this day.

As for that mom? She turned out to be rude, unfriendly, and completely self-absorbed. She moved away the following year, and honestly… I have never been happier to see a moving truck in my life.

The lesson? Pay attention to people’s social cues when you meet them. Someone who seems a bit off and different… probably is.

This Mom Right Here? She doesn’t hang with people like that. She protects her family, knows her worth, and makes sure her kids—and herself—thrive.