Maybe it was a moment of insanity or overconfidence, I took my eager beaver 2 year old son and super inquisitive 5 year old son to the grocery store last weekend. I love grocery shopping, well that is if I could shop without the kids. But when it comes to grocery shopping with the kids, fellow moms would know that it’s a matter of survival.
We had plenty of onlookers.
My dear 5 year old Daniel was talking loudly and racing here and there despite my attempts to *ahem* control him with promises of treats… He says he wants needs everything. Why doesn’t he understand what is “no running“?
I have strategically kept Nathen occupied on the grocery trolley for 10 mins by then and he’s done with it. He didn’t want to sit in the trolley any longer and wanted to be carried. It was quite the struggle to get everything on my checklist into my trolley with a 10kg toddler in my arms, while maneuvering the trolley and keeping Daniel in check.
Grocery Shopping With Kids
What WAS I thinking?!
Finally, Daniel needed to pee and my husband took him out for a pee break (Thank God), leaving me alone with my baby Nathen.
I decided to queue at the self checkout counter because it had the shortest queue. This should be easy I thought. But of course, no toddler would stay still amidst shelves of products ranging from candy to magazines. He had his cute little fingers everywhere, trying to move everything he could.
I had my hands full carrying a heavy bag and trying to look for my credit card (you know, the one that gives the best rebates) while trying to tell little Nathen to stay still and wait for our turn.
Nathen discovered that the magazine racks had wheels (omfg) and tried spinning it. He touched every dusty corner he could reach (omigawd) and even tried helping me with my heavy basket (and complained it’s heavy).
At the self checkout counter, he pulled receipts out of the machine and when I said no, he went to the counter beside mine.
And then a fellow mom said this to me…
A fellow mom at that checkout counter turned to me with a gentle smile and she said, “Don’t worry, it’ll pass”. We met eyes and I knew exactly what she meant. I was pretty flustered by then and I felt incredibly comforted by the camaraderie.
More than anything else, I needed that.
To fellow moms at the grocery store, I feel you.
While the boys didn’t have a meltdown that day, I nearly had one myself.
I know that it’s annoying to have a kid running around in the supermarket aisles. I know you’re in line to checkout and it’s annoying to have a mom with a lot of groceries and a screaming baby in front of you. But I assure you, she is is not out to annoy you. She is just trying her best.
The world has enough nastiness and if we could just all smile kindly and offer camaraderie to the flustered and probably mentally-drained mom, I’m sure it’ll go a long way for her. Just like how it did for me.
This parenting thing is hard enough as it is. Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. :)