Monday, August 22, 2011

Invasion of the Babbers Snatchers (GBE2 #14--Growing Wild)

This is me....and my youngest son, Mathias (my Babbers)

Cute, right?

My answer would be.......most of the time, yes.

Not yesterday.  Nope, not even sort of.

You see, yesterday was school supply shopping day.  We rounded up the troops (minus the oldest because....he's just too cool to hang out with us anymore), explained what our plans were and piled into the truck for a quick trip to the local Wal-Mart.

Our cart was filled with pencils, pens, notebooks, and folders.  We had all the essentials.  We went a little over budget...but not too badly.  Everything was going quite nicely.....

Until.....

"Mommy, can you buy me a Lego set?" Mathias asked--innocently enough.  He's five.  He doesn't have to worry about things like budgets and bills.  All he knows of spending is that Mommy swipes the card in the machine and we bring stuff home.

"I'm sorry baby, but Mommy doesn't have enough money to buy any Legos today"

"You have money Mommy....look at all the stuff in the cart."

"Yes, you're right...I DO have money for school supplies.  You guys NEED school supplies.  I don't have any extra money for buying Legos"

That's when the pod people came and swapped my precious treasure for some wild creature from another realm.

"THEN PUT ALL THIS STUFF BACK!!! I DON'T NEED ALL THIS WORTHLESS JUNK!!! I NEED YOU TO BUY ME A LEGO SET!!!!" 

Screaming and crying began at this point.  This is my fourth child.  Jeff and I are not strangers to tantrums in public places.  We could have removed him.  Maybe we should have.  But we had exactly two more items to purchase from the other side of the store.  Surely, we could weather this storm long enough to grab those items and run?

"I JUST WANT A LEGO SET.  WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO MEAN TO ME???  WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME???  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...JUST A MINI ONE....I NEEEEEEEED A LEGO SET...I NEEEEEEED IT!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Through the store we went.  And like so many parents, I was almost ready to cave.  Or at least come to a more affordable compromise.

Until he looked at me and said:  "I'm just going to keep screaming until you get me my Lego set"

Oh, he was so close!

Just barely hanging onto our sanity, we reach the checkout line.  He hasn't stopped screaming.  He stops to catch his breath....looks over at me loading notebooks onto the belt...and says:

"Where is the owner of Wal-Mart? I need to speak to him."

Wait. *Double take* Ummmm....what??????

"You need to speak to the owner of Wal-Mart?, Why?"

"BECAUSE WHEN I TELL HIM WHAT YOU DID TO ME....HE'S GOING TO MAKE YOU BUY ME A LEGO SET!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(OK....he's still cute.  Even when the pod people invade his body.)

Cries. Wails. Screams. Empty threats on our part.  All the way to the car.

On the way home it's more of the same.  Only now he's concerned over some of those empty threats that had been issued.

I tried to reassure him.  When people get really mad, sometimes they say things that they don't really mean.  Like when he's mad at me and says he hates me....he doesn't really hate me....it's just the anger talking.

"No, Mommy.....I mean it EVERY TIME I say it."

Breathe, Stephanie, Breathe. 

Relax--Tomorrow will be a better day.

And so far, it has been.  He's been the sweet little boy I love so much.

The pod people have retreated.

For now.




15 comments:

  1. It was a NUTTY a$$ day!!!!!

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  2. It certainly was...but we made it through!!!

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  3. Oh dear mee! I hope you both are OK!

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  4. What a memory, back to my kids, but now my grandkids are doing it to them. Just wait, it'll be more fun then.
    Pam
    A Pirate Looks Past Sixty

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  5. Everyone who's had kids can relate to this. I know I can (even though it was many years ago).

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  6. Those damn Pod People! Glad you stuck to your guns...the Pod People hate that and tend to move on quickly when they encounter that kind of treatment.

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  7. Laughed all the way thru this. Brought back memories of my children and grandchildren. Miss having little ones around.

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  8. LOL (I can laugh b/c there are no 5 year old's in my life to make me pull my hair out!) Carrying on....LOLOLOLOL

    All that joking aside... Yeppers...those were the days! Now, even my grandkids are adults and the great grands live in other states... For their parents to handle... LOL.. I can't stop laughing.

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  9. I may have seen your double at the grocery store yesterday...not lego set, but some toy from the rack she could not live without. You'll be happy to know that the pod people didn't win here either! Little girl went to the car still screaming that her mom was the meanest mom EVER.
    "And this too shall pass." LOL

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  10. Gah. My daughter is two. I thought we'd be done with tantrums soon.

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  11. Oh I so remember these days lol mine didn't get it either hope the pod guys stay away.
    Great write hon I got a giggle out of it :)
    *hugs*

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  12. LOL, this sounds so familiar that it is funny!! Never had one of mine demand to see the manager of the store to plead their case. That is priceless!! My dad once wondered why parents have the audacity to go to WALMART and allow their kids to scream and moan in the store disturbing everyone. Well hey, we came there for a reason...to get something we need. The kids will either get over it or die with it but eventually they will get the message that you are not impressed and that the loud lime screaming in the store is pointless. I tune out completely and motor on my way. Great post!!

    Kathy
    http://www.thetruckerswife.com/index.html

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  13. WOW intensity...it will be positive once he learns to understand manipulation of mommy doesn't work!! : )

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  14. Hilarious. I hope the pod people stay away for a while.

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  15. Thank you everyone for the nice comments! It was reassuring to see that this could resonate with just about everyone :)

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