Do you take your kids to the grocery store?

Question of the day:

Do you take your children to the grocery store?

This is a constant struggle with our family. We cannot and almost completely avoid taking Angry Toddler to the grocery store with us. It’s a complete pain and gives Angry Husband and myself, great anxiety. A fifteen minute trip into the store for one item, turns into forty-five minutes with that original item, a piece of candy, and some band-aids. My kid has a serious addiction to character band-aids.

Because of this, Angry Husband calls me on his way home every day. We have the usual conversation, “I’m on my way home, do we need anything from the store?” We live very close to the store and tend to shop European style, as in shopping for a particular meal, not for the week. We are lazy like that, and we constantly change our minds. We do keep snacks in the house, but we don’t plan meals in advance. Our schedules fluctuate so much and we never know if the entire family is going to be home at the same time.

I think my hate for the grocery store was programmed into me, early in life. My parents both work(ed) in the grocery industry and one of my first jobs was a courtesy clerk (bagger) at a grocery store. My mom was a checker and hated shopping, and we always heard the good ole’ saying, “she didn’t want to bring her work home, and get the hell out of dodge while you can”. I grew up eating out a lot, and having my mom shop “Euro Style” also.

You should see me when I’m in the grocery store. I wander around the isles, clueless. I just throw random things in the cart. I do shop with coupons, when I remember to bring them. Thankfully, Angry Husband does most of our shopping.

Recently, around Halloween time, I saw an entire family with two very small children (both under 3) shopping at the store. They were doing their “big” weekly shop, I could tell because the cart was full. The kids were running around like animals. Both parents were present. I kept thinking to myself, why doesn’t one parent just stay home with the kids? I just shook my head.

I thought I would tempt fate on Friday night. Angry Husband was working late, so I attempted to run some errands with Angry Toddler after preschool. We went to the bank (he drew his name on deposit slips), we went to a surf store (had to purchase some shirts for family pictures), and then…well the grocery store. Angry Toddler was being sooo good, I mean beyond normal good. He had a great time at the surf store, well maybe the pretty female employee who “watched” him for me, was a good start. And then it started.

I went to the pricey, very pretty grocery store. That store with the higher prices, but oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful, I want to eat off the floors displays… I asked Angry Toddler if he wanted snacks. He agreed and we put the specific things, that HE WANTED, in the cart. It was all about him. I even asked what he wanted for dinner. He told me spaghetti, which he pointed out the expensive service deli kind, fine. We then hit the produce department, oh the shiny beautiful polished exotic fruits and vegetables.

Yes, Angry Toddler started “molesting” the fruit. He is 4, I know.. He’s completely into textures and touching things, I get that. But seriously, he molested the fruit. He fondled the fruit. He walked around almost every fruit display and breathed on it, caressed it, and picked the fruit up. I got those looks. You know the snobby, I only shop at the expensive store, because I live in Orange County, and I can, looks. They saw the 4 year old boy, with his grubby little hands, the finger paint stained shirt, fondling the fruit. I did what any other Angry Mom would do, I grabbed him by the bicep with the “death grip” and pulled him away from the display. Well he spun around, got those eyes, the eyes of Satan, and ran. Oh and he ran…He ran like a parolee with a no bail warrant (got to give some laughs to my co-workers). He did not look back.

What did I do? I reacted. I yanked my purse out of the cart, and took off after him. Perhaps, I screamed several four-letter curse words during my chase. I finally caught up with him, and promptly marched him towards my car. I gave the lecture, “What the hell were you thinking? Why did you run?” I knew it was fruitless. He was done. I left the cart standing in the middle of the produce aisle, stranded.

Angry Husband was able to pick up some things on the way home. He then gave me the lecture when he got home. What was I thinking, taking him to the store? I knew better. He turns into an animal. Etc.. Etc…

The next morning, out of the blue. Angry Toddler comes up to me and says, “I’m sorry for running off at the grocery store. I will never ever do that again. I promise to be good. I will be good mama”. It was completely random. Angry Husband had left the house prior to that. Angry Toddler knew he was wrong.

But really, why do I torture myself at the grocery store?
And why, do other people do this to themselves too?