For some reason, when I go to the grocery store without Aaron, the kids become wild. Like, calm and well-behaved one second, then complete crazed monkeys the next. It is very, very, very frustrating, not only because they KNOW that we don't act like that in the grocery store (or anywhere, really), but because it happens when I'm alone with them and it feels a little (ok, a lot) like I'm being manipulated.
It always starts out fine. We order food from the deli case, we pay for it, we bring it to the vacant area with all the tables, eat our carb-heavy meals (mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, and chicken strips for Adam; chicken strips and potato wedges for Ben; quinoa salad for me), then we pick up our mess and start shopping. I can get down one, maybe two aisles before they start goading one another. Pretty soon I'm repeatedly telling them to "STOP THAT!" or "Knock it off!" or "DO NOT (put that box of cereal in the cart, poke your brother's eye, roll a hedge apple down the aisle like a bowling ball, run away from me, etc.)"
Good times.
Last week, during one of my I've-seriously-had-it-up-to-here-how-can-I-fast-forward-through-this-stressful-shopping-trip?!?!?! moments, when I was feeling like a bad mom, when I wished I had decided to skip this trip altogether, a middle-aged woman approached me. Uh-oh, I thought. Here it comes. She's gonna lecture me. I could feel my face start to get hot before she even opened her mouth.
"I told the manager about your family," she said.
"You did?" I asked, taking an orange out of Ben's hands and placing it back in the bin.
"I told him that your family should be the soundtrack of this store," she said, cracking a smile.
"A soundtrack for birth control?" I joked.
"Oh no, a soundtrack for what HAPPY KIDS sound like. I've been following behind you for awhile and your boys are really, really happy," she said. "They're so animated and colorful and they just keep laughing. It's such a beautiful sound."
I was speechless. So NOT what I was expecting her to say. (Maybe she had heard Ben ask if I was going to buy the "white broccoli," then listen as I explained that no, Ben, that's CAULIFLOWER, who knows.)
What I do know is that woman brought me back from the edge of insanity. I wish I could thank her for her impeccable timing. No, it's not ideal when your kids misbehave or fight (what siblings don't fight when they're old enough to understand how to push the other ones' buttons?!), they can drive you crazy, but hey! At least they're loved, they're safe, and they're happy. That's gotta count for something, right? ;)
3 comments:
That is a great story! I think sometimes our kids seem worse to us than they do to anyone else, especially since we are with them more than anyone else. They wear us down!
That being said, I try not to go shopping with the kids if at all possible. At least not both of them. Because stressful.
I agree with Em. We're probably much more highly sensitive to their behavior than those around us. But, yes. I hiss, "Stop it!" A LOT at Target.
Any why always better with only one?! Why must they bug each other so much, but be perfect on their own!
On the other hand, I'll be shopping with them and hear a Major Tantrum from aisles away and (while sending that mother strength) think, "Well, you know what, nevermind! My kids are angels!"
I'm glad the woman said something. Those are the things we need to hear! We need more of those things said, instead of judgey glares or complete disregard.
I was at the pool with both kids when Mason's foot started bleeding and another mother (with FOUR kids) ran and got me a bandaid. She saved me!
Love you girls. You somehow always know what to say to make me feel better.
Post a Comment