You see them every time you walk through the doors of Target, Publix, Wal-Mart, Chick-fil-a and the mall: Parents and cranky children.
You say to yourself, “Why don’t those people just keep their kids at home? If they are going to come out to a public place and cause such a disturbance, they shouldn’t be out in the first place.” You stare at them. You shake your head in disgust. You think that you would NEVER do that because, clearly, people who do that are just crazy.
Obviously, you don’t have children.
And, obviously, you don’t know the golden rule of parenting a cranky child: when all else fails, leave home.
I am not sitting on high saying that I knew this rule myself before Alexander came along. On the contrary, I was among those looking down my nose at the frazzled mommy pushing a whining baby in a shopping cart. I was an “I know better than you” witness to the toddler having a tantrum in the frozen food aisle. I was the disgusted fast-food diner wishing the yelling kids in the booth behind me would just leave.
Then, I got a kid.
And I found out the hard way that there are days that no amount of cajoling will make a 7-month old take a nap. There are times when the same silly song that has been sung a million times will not produce a smile. There is a point when that favorite toy or even a comforting bottle cannot stop the crying. These are desperate times. And you know what they say about desperate times. That’s right folks: it’s time to just get the heck out of the house, before your child spontaneously combusts and the people in white coats come to take you away. At this juncture, staying home, not going out, is the crazy choice.
And, as I found out myself earlier this week, there is something about driving into the Target parking lot and buckling your baby into the cart that causes the panic to dissipate. Walking through those welcoming automatic doors seems to bring a peace not only to you, but to your over-tired child as well. And when you catch the eye of another harried mom with a couple of kids in tow, there is a feeling of solidarity. You are not alone.
If you are very lucky, your child will take a long nap upon arriving home. Who cares that that nap cost you the $60 you spent at Target! That is money well-spent.
So, no longer do I wonder who these crazy women are who take their kids out when they are obviously not in a happy place. And that, my friends, is because I am now, proudly, one of them.
You say to yourself, “Why don’t those people just keep their kids at home? If they are going to come out to a public place and cause such a disturbance, they shouldn’t be out in the first place.” You stare at them. You shake your head in disgust. You think that you would NEVER do that because, clearly, people who do that are just crazy.
Obviously, you don’t have children.
And, obviously, you don’t know the golden rule of parenting a cranky child: when all else fails, leave home.
I am not sitting on high saying that I knew this rule myself before Alexander came along. On the contrary, I was among those looking down my nose at the frazzled mommy pushing a whining baby in a shopping cart. I was an “I know better than you” witness to the toddler having a tantrum in the frozen food aisle. I was the disgusted fast-food diner wishing the yelling kids in the booth behind me would just leave.
Then, I got a kid.
And I found out the hard way that there are days that no amount of cajoling will make a 7-month old take a nap. There are times when the same silly song that has been sung a million times will not produce a smile. There is a point when that favorite toy or even a comforting bottle cannot stop the crying. These are desperate times. And you know what they say about desperate times. That’s right folks: it’s time to just get the heck out of the house, before your child spontaneously combusts and the people in white coats come to take you away. At this juncture, staying home, not going out, is the crazy choice.
And, as I found out myself earlier this week, there is something about driving into the Target parking lot and buckling your baby into the cart that causes the panic to dissipate. Walking through those welcoming automatic doors seems to bring a peace not only to you, but to your over-tired child as well. And when you catch the eye of another harried mom with a couple of kids in tow, there is a feeling of solidarity. You are not alone.
If you are very lucky, your child will take a long nap upon arriving home. Who cares that that nap cost you the $60 you spent at Target! That is money well-spent.
So, no longer do I wonder who these crazy women are who take their kids out when they are obviously not in a happy place. And that, my friends, is because I am now, proudly, one of them.
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