I try to avoid going to the supermarket on the month end,
because I hate shopping in a crowded space and hate even more, standing in the
checkout lines. Because of this, and by the help of God, we try not to live from paycheck to paycheck. Last month, I seemed to have miscalculated and so we ended up
doing our grocery shopping on the month end. When we entered the supermarket, I
had to send my husband to take home my mother-in-law, because she had decided
to wait for us in the car. Luckily we live close by.
We finished shopping. It did not really take long because we
wanted to join the checkout line as soon as possible. We were in the line for
almost 45 minutes, as this gentleman in front of us seemed like he was shopping
for an entire colony and was asking for bills at intervals. When it seemed like
we would have spent the rest of the night in the supermarket, we switched
lines. By this time the children were tired, hungry and cranky. Our 6 year old
son, deciding to make the most of his time, took a lollipop that he had begged us
for earlier and started boring holes in one of the snacks. I slapped him
instantly and did not care who was looking on, or who would be judging me. He,
being his dramatic self, bawled and bawled. I still did not feel bad for slapping
him.
We got out of the supermarket soon after and by this time, I had
cooled off. When we got into the car, I calmly said to him, why did you bore
holes into the snack? He said, quite matter-a-fact-ly, “mommy, I am a kid and I
am going to do kids’ stuff.” I was flabbergasted and did not know how to
respond to him. I managed a smile as I thought to myself, who is this child,
and why did he have to be so dead on. Knowing fully well that I had lost this battle, I
said to him, just to boost my ego and make myself feel that I was still in
charge here, well son, the snack you bore holes into, it will be in
your lunch kit tomorrow.
That night, I was indeed ushered back into reality by a babe. The
common phrase goes ‘out of the mouth of
babes spews knowledge’ (not verbatim). Too often we expect our children to
behave like adults, to pick up after themselves, to be quiet, to not touch this
or do that, but isn't that the nature of a child? They are by nature curious
beings and we should try (as hard as it is sometimes, because they do wear on
our last nerve), to remember this as much as possible and believe me, you will experience
more peace and joy from having them around.
I am grateful then, for my recent dose of reality.
