I may have 4 darling children, but it wasn’t always that way. There was a time when I was young, cool, and single. I even owned a stick shift car that was pretty fun to drive. A striking contrast to my super hot mom-mobile otherwise known as a minivan I also drove. Thanks to a deer a few years back, I was able to upgrade, but man, I still kinda miss those sliding doors and stow and go. But don’t tell anyone. Back to the point: I’ve always loved children, but I haven’t always known just how hard it is to raise them.
Have you ever felt like if you ventured to the store with all your children in tow, you’d find someone mysteriously dropped condoms into your shopping cart? Girl, I hear you. Many a time, even before my kid count hit chaotic, I’ve felt overwhelmed in the store. We’ve all been there.
And we’ve all seen her: that mom. The one in the grocery store who seems to be completely ignoring her child acting like a first class brat in the cart. Or gasp! not in the cart. Is she really just letting him do whatever he wants? Kicking at the cart, crossing his arms, sticking his tongue out, sitting on the floor – wait are you walking away?! That child needs his butt spanked – if that were my child….
Confession: that was my child, and I have been that mom. Oh how things change when you become a mother. Choose your battles. Sometimes it is best to ignore the inappropriate behavior in order for it to cease. On this particular occasion, as I recall, my darling child was sitting in front of the frozen pizza case, arms crossed, eyes squinted angrily as I walked to the end of the aisle. Sometimes, you just want to scream and lose your cool right there in aisle 5. But since I don’t particularly like to make a scene, I remained calm, led him politely by the arm, coerced him back into the cart, and grabbed myself a donut and frozen coke. You know, because they won’t let you open wine until you leave the store.
I love the chaos, despite the unwanted attention it may sometimes bring. Thank you to all strangers who have offered words of encouragement or affirmation. I needed those. I’ve learned that you tend to stop judging moms once you become one. Because let’s be honest, momming is hard. And everyone is just here, trying to do her best, making the best decisions she can at that point in time. Even if it’s to sacrifice this particular battle to eventually win the war against toddlers in Target.