I’m sure every mother has had to do the sprint of shame. You know the one – you are chasing after your child through the store hollering “Stop! Stop this instant! 1-2-3!” and your child is ignoring you while you get haughty glares from people with perfect children (or no children or no sense of humor) and hysterical laughter from the real mommies and daddies. Then you have to walk up to the counter all embarrassed and red-faced and pay for your stuff while your child screams for the $6 glittery-light-up-bouncey-ball and you are wrestling with her and hissing, “No. Now stop this instant.” and she continues to ignore you and try to wriggle out of your grasp.
I would like to know what marketing genius at Border’s decided to put the $6 glittery-light-up-bouncey-balls at eye level to a 21 month old. The man (or woman) is seriously brilliant! And his ploy worked like a charm. (Well, it worked like a charm in the sense that it caught my child’s attention. But it did not work like a charm to sell it to me.) Shelby’s little eyes lit up, and before I could stop her, she had picked up a ball and hurled it across the store. Of course the dang things bounce and roll like Flubber.
Shelby took off after her treasure giggling with unrestrained glee while I had to drop my books on the counter and take off after her in a dead sprint to the tune of knowing laughter from the cashier. (How on earth can someone so short cover so much ground so quickly?)
She had been so good up to that point. So good…
I hope that ever who decided to put those there has quadruplets and has to take them all to a store where some smart aleck puts the $6 glitter-light-up-bouncey-balls right at their eye levels.
Oh well, I guess all you can do is laugh. You can’t take these things too seriously. I know people who do. You know them too: the mothers who tell you, “My child only eats fruits and healthy snacks! In fact, he prefers them to cookies!” Trust me, either the woman is lying or the kid is a weirdo.
Shelby will eat the fruits and vegetables I give her. But I’m not gonna lie to you, if you give her the choice between brocolli and Cheetos, she’s going to take the Cheetos.
Here’s a picture that my mom took of my little angel last month. She’s been sick all week. It’s so sad! She’s never had anything worse than a 24 hour sniffle before and it’s just so hard to watch her suffer. And she’s so pitiful! Right now she’s asleep on the couch curled up with her blanket; it’s enough to break your heart.
She does look like an angel, but I have one of my own (mostly grown up now), and they do have their moments!
I remember those days. I would tell you gets better as they get older, but it doesn’t–hopefully by the time my girls go to college it will be better! Run Shelby, run!
I clearly remember when Mary was about the same age.
She became enthralled with the purse display at the Jones Store. She seen me, grabbed the first purse she could get her hands on and took off in a dead run. I caught up with her 1/2 way through the store; it was like chasing a shoplifter.
I guess Shelby just takes after her mother.
ha ha ha at least you only have one. LOL
Yeup…it sure does happen. Our youngest shot thru sears and made it to the escalators and UP before we could get to him.
I love that picture of Shelby!!!
i like reading stories like these. Makes me feel like i am not alone. Specially when i am getting those stares from the people you mentioned that have the perfect children or none at all.
That is such a cute picture of your angel!
I do this more often than I would like- so I can soooo relate! I remember the first “real” time I had to chase my oldest. It was the day before I delivered my second so I was thundering after her screaming “you’re NOT getting a popsicle when we get home!” I remember noticing some teen girls drive by as I am running (unfortunately we were in a parking lot) praying that this would be some sort of birth control for them.
Strollers, of course, prevent this, but then you have to listen to the kid scream because they want to be free. My mother kept suggesting I get one of those cute monkey leash backpack things so I could literally keep a close rein- but I never bought one.
Speaking of strangers noticing this in public- I hate it when I am out in the afternoon and older women remark (while giving me an exasperated glare) “Oh, somebody needs a nap”, when the toddler is fussing, or whining. I just want to snap and say, “Why- yes, I do!”. Sometimes errands just don’t run themselves.