passive aggression is so unattractive

I had an odd experience yesterday and the more I think about it, the angrier I become. Mrs McMuffin and I took Babycake to the doctor for his six weeks check up. The baby clinic was very busy. I was the only man there. There were a number of women with their babies milling around, and all of the workers were women too. I felt a little bit out of place. The women, Mrs McMuffin included, all seem to have something to do. There were bins under the baby changing tables with a little sign on them instructing us not to put soiled nappies in the bin. I had been drinking a can of Red Bull and when I had finished I put it in one of the bins. I thought nothing of it. The baby was weighed and Mrs McMuffin and I chatted to the Health Visitor about Babycake while we waited to see the Paediatrician. We went back to the same table to get Babycake dressed after he had seen the doctor. As we were doing this, the receptionist came over and opened the bin. With a look of disgust on her face, she tutted, and said, "look at that, someone has put a can in the bin." I told her that I had put the can in the bin because I thought it was a bin for rubbish, apart from soiled nappies, of course. She told me in a whiney voice that the bin was just for paper. I started to protest, "but...it doesn't say that..." I took the can out of the bin and asked her where I should put it. She kindly offered to show me the bin where cans go, and took me around the back of the room, through a little a child gate, into a kitchen, and pointed to the kitchen bin. When we got there, I couldn't help but ask her why I couldn't put the can in the other bin. She insisted that the other bin was for paper only. I just had to point out that it didn't say that anywhere, to which she answered, "it isn't necessary to say that because the mothers are too busy with their babies to be drinking from cans."

I know I may be reading too much into this, but it seems to me that she clearly disapproved of me being there. Not only had I committed the cardinal sin of using the bin for disposing of anything other than paper, but the fact that I had time to drink a can of soft drink suggested that I had nothing to do there. I wasn't surprised that there weren't many men at the clinic, but it was a surprise to find that I was the only one. I wonder how many men have attended the clinic but decided not to return after suffering a similar experience?

I don't do this very often, but I think I am going to write a letter of complaint.

Oh, and I'm going back!