So tell me, am I an overreactor?

I went to Baltimore this past weekend to visit friends. Baltimore is really neat this time of year between all the fun activities in the Inner Harbor, the fall leaves and the beautiful neighborhoods.

While walking down the street with my friend and her 19-month-old daughter, I was really taken back by one of the store window displays. The street we were on included many high-end boutiques and other miscellaneous stores. I believe the store that caught my eye was some type of vintage shop.

The reason why it captured my attention was because it was a goary Halloween display. One side consisted of a vintage looking dress with fake blood on it and a skeleton which didn't phase me. It was the other side that did. There were about 8 baby dolls all covered in blood. Some had ice picks stuck in them. I was LIVID. I know part of it is because I have a young child and I could see my daughter looking at it and pointing saying, "baby" (in her sweet innocent voice). I think it would scare her. Luckily my friend's daughter has not yet noticed it on their walks.

I stared at it for a while and just got more and more angry. Later in the day, I decided I had to say something to the store owner. The door was open so I stood outside in front of the displays and said, "Excuse me...this store display is completely inappropriate" (I probably could have started the conversation a little lighter but I wasn't in the mood). The store owner came out and argued her point saying that many people have come by saying how creative it was. I was thinking, WHAT? How could any person with or without kids see that and say it was neat. I thought it was completely whacked, especially knowing that this neighborhood was very family-orientated.

One of her arguments was that my child (I told her I had a 1 year old) would never remember it which I thought was a really stupid comment. That isn't even the point lady, you have murdered babies in your window. After she said that I told her I would never buy anything from her store (I know, temper, temper).

I realize we can not shelter our kids from the ugliness of the world, but to me, this was unnecessary. I felt it even took the fun out of what her point was with decorating in the first place.

I actually thought about posting a picture of it for you to see so you could formulate your own opinion about the topic, but I really didn't think it was appropriate for the site.

So my question to you is, did I overreact? I am normally somewhat laid back and have a sense of humor but didn't think this was one bit funny. I would love to hear what you think. To comment, simply register at the top right of the page.

Moral of the story: Apparently there are many different definitions for the word creative. No wonder why the world can be such a scary place these days.