The Brat Years, Part 2

I keep swearing to myself that I will not take Mira into any store for the next 10 years because of how much work it is. It's always so much faster and easier for me to wait until she's asleep for the night and then run out to do the grocery shopping then. As we all know, however, this is not always possible. 

A couple weeks ago Mark and I were out with Mira and we had to stop by the store for one thing. It's just one thing, I thought, and I have help this time. How bad could it be?

Mistake number 1 accomplished.

Before we even went into the store I told Mira that we were not going to get a cart. We were just going to run in, grab our one item, and leave. So, we weren't going to get a small shopping cart that she could push around. We weren't going to get one of those carts with the car she could "drive" either. We weren't getting a cart, period. She nodded and said "K" as if she understood. Boy was I dense. As soon as we entered and she saw the rows of shopping carts, she wanted to get one. I reminded her that wasn't going to happen.

That was temper tantrum number one, and we hadn't even made it inside the store yet.

Mark carried her inside, which she didn't approve of so she started screaming, " I DOWN!! I DOWN!!" He tried to set her down but then she wanted to run off. I captured her and told her that her choices were to be carried by Daddy or to hold Daddy's hand. After temper tantrum number two she settled grudgingly on holding Daddy's hand. But of course she could still grab for everything at eye level and try to pull Mark any which way she could, so I grabbed what we needed and we hurried to the checkout.

While I was waiting to pay, Mark saw a friend of ours so he carried Mira through the line so he could stand and chat. As I was handling the transaction, I could see Mark trying to talk while holding a flailing, arching, kicking child who was still screaming, "I DOWN!! I DOWN!!!" Finally we made it out of the store and I remarked that this was why I didn't like to bring Mira into any store.

Mark appeared surprised and said, "What? I thought she was perfect!"

While I recover from my moment of flabbergasted speechlessness, I would like to point out that while Mira's behavior is perfectly appropriate for her age, it doesn't mean I enjoy dealing with it. And maybe Mark would like to volunteer to do all the grocery shopping with Mira from now on.