The check out

So I need to vent.

I was at home depot yesterday with my sisters three kids, ages 8, 3, and 2. For the most part they were behaving really well, and I was able to get my paint, and a few other painting materials without much trouble from them. I was impressed with their behavior and was beaming with appraisal for these three what appeared to be angels. Then it happened. We approached the check out and it was as if the gates of hell opened up and turned these three angels into demons. First it started with the 8 year old, Aislynn.
"Amy, Can I have some gum"
"No, not today, I have some in my purse you can have" impressed with my ability to find a great excuse with out having to just be mean.
"Well, is it a whole pack, cause I never get a whole pack."
"No, you can just have a piece, you don't need a pack"
"WHYYYY?...Mady ate my last pack, and I NEVER get a whole pack and its only 98 cents..."
"Aislynn, I said no, you can have a piece of mine thats it."
"Hmmmmf" her arms folded and brow furrowed. I feel like I won the battle, but trust me the war just began.
"Can I have a candy bar then? Just that one? its only 79 cents?" at this point the word candy bar has sparked both Mady, and Nicolas' attention, and Aislynn now has reinforcement.
"Uhh Amy. I want a candy bar. That one, can I have a candy bar" and "I wan some Choc O Lat, I wan some Choc I Lat canny...." on and on, and now its just me against three.
So I say, ok we will get ONE candy bar to share."
"YEAH"Aislynn cheered, feeling victorious for her win, that yes she got what she wanted.
"Candy, candy bar!" maddy yelled, excited that she got to have ANOTHER treat.
I wan some Choc O lat Cannny bar, I wan some Choc O Lat canny bar..." Nicolas repeated over and over again, because he was unaware that he did in fact get a candy bar, but not until we reached the car, a concept he didn't understand.



So I grabbed a Twix bar, because they are the easiest to split, added it to my enormous car cart, that Nicolas HAS to drive in if he sees, and I have to struggle to push it around the store apologizing to everyone for being in the way.

So we walk for what it seems like for a mile AT LEAST, and Finally get to the car. All the while Nicolas is frantically pleading for the candy bar.

"Everyone get in their seats and once you are buckled in you can have your candy bar." I chime, trying to get them to somewhat behave at least once more. Aislynn runs to her seat, Mady climbs into her chair. And Nicolas waits outside the car with his hands open pleading "Ammy I wan some Choc O lat canny bar?!"

So doing what any Mom/nanny or normal human being would do, I pick him up to put him in his seat. Understanding that he doesn't quite get bribery just yet.

And then it happens. He starts to do what any "normal" two year old would do when they patiently waited, and asked for something and didn't get it. SCREAM.

And he screamed and screamed and SCREAMED. Tears streamed down his face, and snot rolled down his nose and into his mouth. Trying to do my best to stay "calm" at this point while he was resisting me putting him into his car seat, by arching his back, was not likely. Two ladies in their 50's were parked next to me, and where starring at me as if to say, what is she doing to that poor baby to make him scream like that! Because they don't know what it's like to have a child exposed to the check out stand, because in their day and age, when kids were bad all it took was "Do you want to go sit in the car?" and that was enough of a threat to make them stop. Now days that is child abuse, and even threatening your child like that in public would send DCS to your door. My parents weren't bad parents, I remember getting that threat a million times.


And so here is my point, I know you are thinking, you have one?
So here is is. I am so bothered that my perfectly good trip to the store was ruined all because of the check out stand. I know its a great way for the grocery store to make money, but honestly at what expense? I know that I am not the only one who suffers when they approach the check out stand. You can avoid the candy aisle, and the toy. But not the check out. Something NEEDS to be done.

So there you have it folks. I said what I needed to say, feel free to share your grocery store
NIGHTMARES!