This was my second visit to a ‘Chinese’ place. I was going to give up on gel/acrylic nails due to the steep price, so the recommendation for an affordable, (almost) local spot came in at the right time. The fact that most of the staff barely speak English does not stop them from delivering a great & efficient service.

While my hands were getting prepped I stared out the window and with curiosity watched a car being parked right outside into an incredibly tight parking spot. Although I couldn’t understand why would anyone bother going for it, I admired this girl’s parking skills.

She got the chair next to me and I couldn’t help but notice an understated but expensive watch and purse.

I focused on maneuvering U Magazine on my lap trying to read some of it and paid no attention until half way through my neighbor’s treatment, when she said: ‘I’ll just run out for a sec to check on my baby’. I looked up terrified trying to figure out whether she’s possibly referring to a pet tied outside and noticed that only myself and the guy doing her nails thought anything of it. All the other ladies were happily carrying on with their treatments. On her way out the most Chinese/broken English ‘open the window’ came from her therapist. To my astonishment she replied that it’s too cold out.

After a quick peek through the car window she was back in her chair. She mentioned that she’ll bring him in if he starts crying. At that stage I knew she’s definitely referring to a baby and again, nobody seemed to take note. Considering the noise of all the mechanical tools being used on my nails there was no way she could hear a thing. Either she realised that or remembered that she’s a mother, she decided to bring the baby in.

The boy couldn’t be more than 6 months old and as cute as he was, I couldn’t get over the situation. He was sitting in his buggy, breathing in the nauseous chemicals and quite possibly nail debris from all the filing around him.

Taking the child’s safety and health aside, I felt kind of sorry for the ladies around me. I was most likely the only one there who wasn’t getting ‘time off kids’. Bringing a child in felt like a violation of some unspoken rules and it didn’t sit right with me. Who am I to judge though? As I heard many times – you won’t understand until you’ve children yourself… So, trying to be as judge-free as I could, I asked my sister (a mother of two) for a view on the situation. She was not impressed and after what I expected as motherly worry for the baby’s safety she also agreed with my sentiment of the kids free zone.

Has the concept of yummy mummies brought things to an immoral level? I admire women who manage their careers, kids, personal lives and still look fabulous but is that how they now achieve it? I always felt that children change women; it suddenly becomes acceptable to bring kids to a no-kids wedding, party or a girlie night in. I strive to keep an open mind and not judge those in a situation I can’t fully understand but this time, I really felt that I’ve seen enough.