a backhanded compliment

I had taken Ella and Maddie to the mall. Maddie wanted to buy a Mother's Day present for me, and Ella just wanted to come along, since she made me something at school. We had a fairly enjoyable trip, but at our last stop, Ella became very brooding and ungrateful, trying to manipulate me into buying additional items for her. I had already bought each of them earrings and a small item at another store during our shopping trip.Her attitude was poor as we left the mall and headed to the grocery store to get a pizza and rent a movie.

We were at the redbox rental area and the girls had problems picking one movie. There was a line forming behind us, so I told them we would be thinking about which to rent while we shopped. Ella was disappointed but okay with this. Maddie decided to whine and throw a small fit. I started walking to the frozen food section, and Ella noticed that Maddie was not with us. I asked her to go get Maddie.

Unfortunately, she drug Maddie to the frozen food section. By the time they got there, Ella was yelling that Maddie had spat on her several times in attempt to be let go. We made haste to the check out counter. I finished paying, and noticed that Ella had been kicking Maddie as she was continuing to spit on her, and gave them the news that as a consequence of their actions, they would clean out the van before dinner and there would be no movie rental. They started howling.

An older woman, likely in her late 70s or even 80s, started clapping and came over to us. She told me I was being a good mom. Then she said "The two of you need to stop it. You're a couple of brats"

Brats? Did she just say that out loud? To my children?

I grabbed my bags as she walked back to her place in line.

I said loudly, in her direction, as I walked past her line: "Do you really think it is acceptable to call someone's children brats?"

"Well they are! If they were..." she said

"SHUT UP!" I told her as I walked past.

She yelled something after me and I said shut up again, incensed. After dealing with the kids behaviour, I then had to deal with a meddlesome old biddy insulting my kids, too.

If I had more wits about me at the time, I ought to have calmly said that I didnt appreciate her modeling rude behaviour to my children. But even with what I did, I felt like I restrained myself.

What is the world coming to???