Kids for Sale – 7 1/2 year old boy relatively good student but prone to sudden mood swings, more apt to mouth off than offer to help; 2 year old girl, always wants to help wash dishes, but does lead to minor flooding, loves the word “no” and leaving all her toys out; must sell as a set as I fear they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves – he wouldn’t have someone to pester and she wouldn’t have someone to annoy. Mom and Dad are just looking for a night out alone. Very open return policy. Will take them back even after a few hours (we’re sure that’s all you could stand anyway). All reasonable offers will be considered.
Went Too Far September 3, 2009
So if anyone follows me on FB, you know my kids are a handful when I have to take them both out to the store or errands. It’s just hard. Bug is 7 1/2 and doesn’t want to follow Mom around the store. And he’s getting so big/tall that it’s hard for me to physically control him. I mean at home I’d just sit on him or something, but I can’t very well do that out in public, can I?. Budha is now 2 and wants to “help” Mom. “I help, I help” or “I do”. She wants to help push the cart, usually into people, other carts or the shelving. I can usually distract her by letting her help do the scanning (we have a self-scanner option at the grocery store we frequent), but that only lasts for a few aisles. Then she wants to get out and help push the cart. And if I try to force her to stay buckled in the seat, she screams her head off. It’s probably not a very pretty sight – me with my two crazy kids – and I can only imagine what the other shoppers think of the scene.
Well it just so happens that last weekend’s grocery store visit was no exception, and we just ran in for a few perishable items (I used Peapod for the majority of the shopping). Picture it – Budha wanted to walk around (I didn’t even bother with a cart because we just need a few things); Bug wanted to hold onto her so she would walk away. He’s holding on to her for dear life; she’s screetching and pulling, trying to get away; I’m trying to focus on the checkout and pay the bill. Then the next thing I know Bug feel on the ground, and some complete stranger is saying to him “There how do you like it.” WHAT! I looked at her and said, “What happened?” Her response, “He was flicking the baby on her head so I flicked him.” Okay, time for a very, very big deep breath. “I was right here. You didn’t need to touch him. Thank you gag for stopping, but I’ll handle it.”
“Well you weren’t paying attention.”
Keep breathing. Control. “I was paying my bill. They’re my children. I’ll handle it.”
I mean come on. Okay so if she had just said something to Bug that would have been one thing. But to physically touch my child! The poor kid at the register didn’t know what to think. I wonder if he thought there’d be a live version of Smack Down right there at his register. The stranger was out in the parking lot when we left the store. She was walking very slowly to her car and glancing back at the store, like she was waiting for us. I ignored her, got my kids in the car, expounded once again on the merits of being good when we’re in public. Then explained to Bug that the woman was not right to have touched him; that no stranger should ever touch him and if someone does he should always, always tell me or Daddy.
I’m all for letting children in public know when they are not behaving well, even children I don’t know. How many of us this summer were at public pools or parks. Kids get out of control sometimes, and we as parents have to accept that we don’t always see every little behavior or gesture. But I believe there’s a right way to handle and a wrong way to handle it. Unless a child is hurt, and I am coming to aid, I would never touch another child. Likewise I wouldn’t want anyone to touch either one of my children to reprimand a certain behavior, especially if I’m standing right there.
As I finish writing this a story comes on the noon news about this man slapping a two year old that is being fussy for her mother in a Georgia Walmart. What is getting into people that they think this is acceptable behavior!
