CB Says to Step It Up - so here is the Tale of the Walmart Checker

Last night at Bunco I was reminded that my blogging has slowed a bit. I can only blame this on my children - seriously, completely and without hesitation - it is their fault. They are sucking all my energy out and leaving me with nothing creative in my head. So I have even had to begin reading to feel creative in some sense and avoid watching tv. Do you do that? Watch tv because you can't use any energy doing anything that might result in an outcome you would be happy with? I am trying hard not to just sit and be a bad example, so we get up - eat a semi healthy breakfast - then go to the gym where I exercise - they have swim class or grudgingly enjoy the kids play programs - and then we do a few errands followed by something they enjoy. The evening is rounded out by ball fields and preparing for the next day - with a little Bunco sprinkled in. But I seem to seriously be with the kids - especially demanding King - almost 24/7 (to the point even BigGuy has said he feels kinda badly about it - and if your husband starts to feel badly that you are having to do more then he is - you know it must be time for you to get a break - or a life of some sort!!).

Anyway...........that is why I have not blogged. Although CB didn't seem to care - she just wanted me to blog again - and honestly - I do too. It is a release of sorts and there are things bugging me a bit that sometimes blogged out I can let go of. So here is one.............the tale of the Walmart Checker.

I really do not like Walmart. Most people who know me know that this is a simple fact. I don't BAN Walmart - I just choose to work very hard not to go there. In STL it was super simple not to go there because there were so many other stores to choose from. Shoot there were 4 Targets within 10 miles of our home. Here there is 1 Target and it is being shared by ALL the smart people who go there. We have a KMart (which I also avoid - not sure what my aversion to KMart is, but I have always had it). We have 2 Walmarts - super ones even. A Meijers. That would be it. There are some department stores too, but I don't generally hit them - Kohl's yes, but not usually for the kids much.

So - my choice is Target - followed by Meijers for mainly fruit and some clothing for the kids - and then begrudgingly Walmart if all else fails or there really is no other choice due to time or teacher lists.

A week into summer break it was realized that the kids were in need of some summer clothes. Have I ever mentioned how much I really do not like shopping? No? Surely I have..........sometimes I like browsing for things by myself, but in general shopping is a pain. Shopping with a child is a bigger pain. Shopping with all three of my kids at the same time is a Jumbo Impossible Ultra Pain (usually - I admit there are those remote times when it isn't a pain - and on those days I wonder what BigGuy slipped into the kids cereal before he left for work - why he won't share the magic and dream of the money we could make marketing if the substance is legal). But sometimes it just can't be avoided. This particular day it could not be avoided.

We went to Target looking for clothes - there were some, but not many because all the Smart People had been there already. We went to Kohl's - nothing on sale so too expensive in my mind (I mean seriously - two of the kids are boys under 8 - how long are their clothes going to last if they aren't made of steal? I can't waste money on expensive clothes that will last 1 summer). We went to Meijers - not much left there either. Apparently people here think about summer clothes before it gets warm - unlike me (note to me - buy summer clothes when they come out in February next year). That left.............yes..........Walmart (because I avoid KMart just that much). And I have to admit - they did have clothes - cheap clothes (made by 3rd world country children being enslaved in child labor)- but I had run out of stores so we did buy some.

First SuperStar picked some stuff out - now really.......we didn't find much for her. A few tank tops and a dress that turned out to be a woman's pj (yikes - it was too tiny for comfy pj's) that we did not buy because we did figure it out. Still....she was happy. Later we found more clothes for her when Target restocked. Spidey we were able to stock up. TheKing found a few outfits too. And amazingly - THEY WERE ALL PRETTY GOOD!! I was impressed!! I was also mindful to be Thankful they were so okay in the stores. I was even mindful to be Thankful Walmart had clothes and thought that perhaps I should reconsider my bile flavored distate for the store.

And we made our way to the checkout......duh duh duh dunnnnn......

We had been shopping so long that it really was time to be done. The kids were hungry. It was just past lunch time. Just before TheKing's nap time. TheKing had been in the cart for about an hour at this store alone. The olders were flipping through all the impulse purchase foods they set out there by the checkout lanes - "Can we have this?", "How about some of this?", "If I give you some of my allowance can I have this?", "How much allowance money do I have saved up?", "You can't not let me spend my own money Mom.", "Why can't we just get this?", "Can we stop at McDonalds?" and then Spidey picked up a bag of chippies (potato chips to the rest of you) and TheKing lost it. He couldn't touch any of this stuff because he was restrained in the cart (his least favorite thing in a store to be). He wanted the chippies. He voiced his need for the chippies. I explained we had chippies at home and we would get some with lunch........and that we were going STRAIGHT home for the chippies.

Not good enough - chippies now.......those chippies.......now......now.......and the loud skwaking about chippies began........and then a mild slap - followed by a kick (this was a new technique he was using) when I held his hands and explained calmly that I understood how he felt - that I had a cereal bar in the car he could have (and I really did - we had pushed him past his limit and it was kinda my fault).

Then I looked to the checker - who was an older woman - and she said, "I bet I know what you want to give him." and I thought........"well that is sweet she wants me to buy him some chippies." only she didn't want me to because then she said............"but you can't give it to him until you get home." which kinda confused me so I said, "Chippies?" and she said, "No, something that because of the laws now a days your kid doesn't get enough of."
Huh?

Sensing I didn't want to go further I just said, "Oh." and she - not getting I was trying to avoid further conversation said, "A good spanking is what he needs." Now....yes on occassion he could use a good swat on the butt.........who couldn't?, but he is not a kid that this works for because we have tried that technique briefly and found he now hits people. So we stopped spanking. I mentioned this to the checker and she said, "God says that if you spare the rod you spoil the child. You are spoiling that child and should spank him." Again, I just kinda avoided saying what I truly thought.......successfully......even though TheKing understood her and said, "No spank Mommy I sorry".

How awful is that? I mean she didn't know what had occured prior to our being there in her check out line - or if he was sick - or if he had just had shots - or that he had been to 3 stores and actually was really good most of the day - and that he was hungry - and that I failed to pack enough snack to get him through to the moment we were - and that if you wanted to blame someone it would be me because it was nap time, no lunch had been eaten yet and we were all sick of shopping. It was my fault really - but she stood there continuing to advocate I spank my kid.

I will give her that when she noticed I was not happy she tried to get him to say "Hi" and even told him he had beautiful eyes (which he does) - but he isn't a dope he knew she was telling me to spank him because he said, "No spank Mommy please" when he heard her spell out her thoughts.

Thank You Walmart Checker. Thank you for ending my almost good Walmart experience with the feeling of inadequate parenting - unwanted advice - and overall crappy customer service. Next season - if Target is low on clothing, Miejers is without and I am still too cheap to buy unsale clothes at Kohl's - my kids will be naked. So neighbors - prepare...........