I was at the Westgate Kroger and the kid in the shopping cart car was at the uscan behind me. Little Sis was silent and Mom was obviously just trying to get through the checkout process without killing someone.

BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!!!

Yeah. Grocery store meltdown? I’ve blocked most of them but the lipstick incident will always stand out. Sorry Mouse, you are *absolutely* not the only Beach Urchin who did something like this but this is the memory that sticks with me.

I got up and went to work over at the EPA at 5:30 or 6 AM or whatever. Get up, get in the shower, jump in the car, and go. The GG sent Lizard Breath off to Haisley and dropped Mouse off at our co-op nursery school. I got off work at 10:30 or 11 or whatever, drove over to the nursery school, helped the on-duty parents with clean-up tasks, put Mouse into the car and headed over to the A2/Saline Rd. Meijer Thrifty Acres to do some grocery shopping.

As we wheeled our way through the football field sized store, my little Mousey spotted some lipstick. And *had* to have it! Didja get that? She *had* to have it. There was absolutely, positively, utterly NO WAY I was gonna buy lipstick for a 4-year-old. This wasn’t even toy makeup. It was full-sized, full-priced *real* lipstick. NO WAY! “Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” Sheeeeesh! It continued all the way to the checkout line and all the way through the checkout line and all the way out to whatever vee-hickle I was driving that day, probably the red minivan that preceded the POC, and ALL THE WAY HOME! Well, maybe half-way home. About halfway there, my little Mousey fell fast asleep. When I got home, I parked my vee-hickle in the driveway, went inside, heated up some leftovers for lunch (I was *starving*), and sat at the dining room table to eat. Yeah, you got that right. I left the kid in the car. Alone. But. It was not extremely hot or cold outside. She was appropriately dressed for whatever weather it was. I left the vee-hickle windows partway open so there was air. And the driveway is directly outside the dining room window. Therefore, I could see her clearly and I was only a few feet away from her. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. I needed some space and I’ll bet she did too.

It’s hard to drag your kids to the grocery store or the mall or wherever. If I were a kid, I think I’d sometimes feel like whining and crying and kicking and screaming too. In fact, I bet I *did* that a few (few?) times back in the day (whining, crying, et al). (But not when I went to the grocery store with my grandma because she’d buy me anything I asked for. :-P) And, come to think of it, there are times *now* when I feel like throwing a tantrum too. That mom in the Westgate Kroger was probably very stressed out at that moment but she handled the situation well. Probably better than I did on some occasions that I’m probably blocking right now. And, guess what? Her kid will grow up. As I watched that little tantrum unfold, all I could think about was Mouse and the lipstick and AFRICA! Because my kid grew up and although we don’t always get along perfectly (who does?), she turned out pretty darned well. Well enough to go to college, be successful there, and go off on a study abroad tour in Senegal for six months. I don’t think she wears lipstick at all now, except when she’s on stage.

I almost said something like all of the above to that woman. I could’ve said something like, “My kid did that once and now she’s in college and yesterday, I sent her off to Africa.” I didn’t. I guess I was feeling a bit shy at that moment. Maybe she didn’t need any “parenting” “help” or advice. I dunno. I did tell it to Arlene, who was at the uscan helm at the time and had witnessed the whole thing with the stoicism that most good, long-time cashiers eventually achieve. And I have run a cash register (and *enjoyed* it — go figure), so I know.

I love you Mousey!

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