Those comments will sound nice someday indeed

Dear Annie: I am 18 years old and have a 6-month-old son, “Jack.” I realize I am rather young, but I love my child as much as any mother. My problem is the response I get when we are out together in public.

At the park one evening last week, a middle-aged woman walked over and said, “That child is too little for a swing. Did his mother give you permission to put him in it?” I was furious. At our county fair, I overheard a woman behind me say to her companion, “Oh my goodness! Do you see that child with a baby? I’ll bet she’s not a day out of junior high school. They shouldn’t let people like that leave the hospital with the poor infant.”

Annie, I am a college student. I work hard and get excellent grades. Because I’m young, it’s assumed I am a terrible mother, and it’s not true. I am a wonderful mother, and I make sure my son has everything he needs. Do I have to wear a bag over my head? What do I say to these people? — Young Mother in California

Dear Mom: You don’t have to say anything to these people. It’s not their business. If they question your authority as a parent, simply tell them, “I’m his mother. Thanks for caring enough to ask” — because that actually is what these people are doing, albeit rudely. Don’t worry. In a few years (too few), you’ll love being so youthful that you are mistaken for the baby sitter. Hang in there.

Dear Annie: Like most of the world, you two are book smart and street dumb when it comes to handicapped parking. I never have figured out how someone can navigate around a three-acre mall but still require handicapped parking. If you can’t walk from the middle of a parking lot, how can you walk around the mall?

I think handicapped parking is one of the most grossly misused, politically correct privileges ever allowed. Any doctor will sign off for a permit. You would think a guy in my position would be more sensitive, but I see the abuses every day. Handicapped parking should be reserved for wheelchairs. The rest of us need the exercise so we are less of a burden to the health care system. Sorry, but this subject really hits a nerve. — President of an Assisted Health Care Service in Kansas

Dear President: Whew. Hope you feel better now. We aren’t as stupid as you think. We know the system is abused (we clearly recall the UCLA football players who finagled handicapped placards). Nonetheless, we’re sticking with our position.

A person who can barely breathe, yet does not require a wheelchair, can manage a certain number of steps before rest becomes necessary. That person may have been lying down all day in anticipation of a trip to the grocery store. Insisting that he or she walk from the middle of the parking lot adds to that distance, making shopping an impossibility, or a chore that requires major recuperation. We think they deserve a little extra assistance, and we’re willing to let the law handle the others.

Dear Annie: I was so blessed to read the letter to “Birth Mom of My Husband” that you printed on Mother’s Day. At the end, you said, “No doubt this will warm the hearts of many who gave up their children for adoption.” How right you are! My heart was smiling and crying at the same time.

For birth mothers, the doubt is always there: Will the child grow up to hate me, or will he see that I did it out of love? Will he be grateful or bitter? My firstborn son is now 37, and I pray for him every day. God bless that woman for writing. She touched many hearts with her thoughtfulness. — Grateful Mom

Dear Grateful: Thank you for letting us know that woman’s letter made a difference. You’ve made our day, and probably hers as well.