![]() I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to me. ![]() “But why did she ask it like that?” And then quieter: “Is three too many kids?” “Why did that lady ask how many kids you have?” Here’s the ProblemĪs we were leaving the store, Abby sidled up next to me. I’m the world’s worst small talker, so I’ve certainly said some things that came out not quite right. I’m sure she was just trying to make small talk. “Three…,” I said, glancing to the side at my husband. Charlie and Abby zipped by behind me, heading to the other side of the store. The saleslady laughed, then looked from Charlie and Abby to where I was standing next to my husband and my 3-year-old. “I’m on Charlie duty!” And she was off to trail her little sister. We kept Charlie happy by letting her rummage through the diaper bag – with just one narrow miss when she uncovered a dirty diaper from the morning we’d forgotten to throw away.Īfter the girls tried everything on, we headed towards the checkout area, and the same saleslady who helped us into the fitting room rang up our clothes.Ĭharlie didn’t last long and zoomed off to explore, so I turned to my oldest Abby and opened my mouth, but she beat me to the punch. The nice saleslady took us to a fitting room, and we all piled in: me, my husband, the 8-year-old, the preschooler, and the high-octane toddler. Taking the girls shopping for clothes is a bit of a relief compared to our normal family outings, on account of there being no wine bottles or coffee mugs involved.Īnd so last week, we ping-ponged around the store, taking turns following Charlie while rummaging through sale racks for cute Fall clothes. Related: A Simple Trick to Run Errands With No Whining From Your Kids Photo by Donnie Ray Jones When You Think You’re Doing Pretty Alright But Others Disagree Our toddler gets to explore the world, and our eardrums don’t explode. If I need to peel off from the Charlie entourage to grab a tube of toothpaste, I’ll say, “Who’s got Charlie?”Īnd my oldest or my husband will answer, “I’m on Charlie duty!” (By the way, stores – can you please stop putting this stuff on the lowest shelves?) ![]() We always make sure one adult (or super mature 8-year-old big sister) is free to follow behind her and redirect her before she topples a display of wine bottles, mason jars, or one-of-a-kind coffee mugs imported from Peru and individually hand-lettered by female entrepreneurs struggling to support their families. When you try to contain her, she screams so loudly and so shrilly at the injustice of being restrained that your brain actually recedes into itself, and even four Advil isn’t enough to make the ringing stop.īut it’s all good because we’ve developed a system for making sure little Charlie can explore without wreaking havoc. Trying to keep hold of her when she wants to get down is like trying to hold onto a wet dog mid-shampoo who just spied a squirrel 10 feet away. Last week, we were in a clothing store with our 8-year-old, 3-year-old, and 1-year-old – who, by the way, will accept nothing less than being put down on the ground to explore at her leisure. Related: The Only Thing You Need to Survive the “Terrible Twos” – With Your Sanity Intact Photo by Donnie Ray Jones And Then This Happened They pick up on the tone, not to mention when the words come with actual laughter. But my kids are right there with me to hear the comments, too.Īnd they’re no dummies. I’ll never see that person again, so I don’t care what they think. Case in point? The fact that I regularly leave the house with dirty hair pulled into a messy ponytail, I let my toddler and preschooler pick out their own (mismatched) clothes, and I have no qualms about busting out a round of “If You’re Happy And You Know It” if it staves off a temper tantrum. It’s not that I care what strangers think. I feel blessed to share my life with these little people, so it doesn’t feel right to just let the stranger’s comment sit there.
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