Society sucks!

I was taught a lesson today.  It's that society in general thinks that kids are always wrong.  No matter what they do - it's them against the adult world.  And I truly mean this! 

After the girls went to the doc (2 ear infections, 3 possible parasites or infections...9 rounds of poop scooping to get to the lab) we came home and I started to make dinner.  Pete and Andy took the girls for a walk to give me some free time to get it ready.  Well all day we planned on pasta, sauce and meatballs so we could have pasta and then probably meatball grinders tomorrow.  But somehow we didn't have any sauce.

I hopped in the car and found the crew walking back home.  I jumped out, grabbed Emily and figured the 2 of us would get some one on one.  Well Hannah & Hailey threw such a fit that I just said fine - I'll take them too.  So all 3 of them got in the car and off to the store we went (Pete & Andy opted to stay behind).  At the store I decided that it would be in my best interest to let the girls walk.  They were already in rare form so I knew that if I chose to put them all in a carriage they would A: fight over who got to sit in front and then B: the 2 that sat in the back would just bicker over who was touching who.   So walking it was.  I gave them each a bag and let them help me shop.

1st stop - pasta and sauce.  They each got a box of pasta in their bags and then I got to carry the sauce.  Then at the end of the aisle there was a rack of pretzels.  I instantly had 3 childless grocery bags on the floor and 3 children with bags of pretzels in hand.  This is actually to my benefit.  Rather than argue over them getting 1 bag - I figure if they're each carrying a bag - they won't be picking anything else up!  I can always leave 2 bags at the register (yes I'm one of those people).  I grab the grocery bags, and let my 3 little ducklings follow behind me.  Through all the 'awwwws and oooohs' I hear someone say to Hailey 'Watch out for the carriage little girl!'   My instant (non-5 second rule) reply was 'Why doesn't the carriage watch out for my daughter?' 

See - instantly an adult thinks the child should watch out.  Mine, yours, anyone's.  Doesn't matter.  Do you think for one minute the guy that told Hailey to watch out would have ever considered that the person pushing the carriage probably wasn't looking where she was going because she was scanning her choice of products?  No.  So instead of telling said carriage pusher to watch out - he yells at Hailey. 

Next we walk over to the milk, grab some lactaid ($4 for a quart!?!?) and then head down the bread aisle.  Now I try to practice the 'one finger' rule with the girls.  As any child would be - they're very curious.  Touching things is how they learn.  So rather than constantly tell them 'No! Don't touch that!  Put that down!' I say 'You can use one finger to touch anything - but one finger only.'  This allows them to touch and explore and saves us from purchasing broken items we don't need/want.  Hannah was putting this one finger rule to good use.  She had her pretzels in one hand and with the other she was using one finger to touch all the peanut butter and jelly jars as she walked by them.  She was doing exactly what I wanted!  Not picking anything up, keeping up with me, and experimenting!  I love it!  But some other adult felt the need to say "Oh don't touch that!  You could break something!"  Now it was in 'good faith' and I'm sure this person was trying to 'help'.  But - why?  She wasn't doing anything wrong in my eyes and she was just being a kid (a really good one!). 

Now - we're at the cash register.  The kids are hovering around me while I'm paying for the groceries.  I sort of bumped Emily with my big butt and she scooted over into the cashier spot behind me (which was empty - that lane was closed).  She was just standing there - staying out of my big butts way and the guy behind us said 'Oh - don't go in there honey...come - come out of there.'  I looked at him and said 'I see her, she's fine thank you.' 

Lucky for this last guy - he caught me on a good day because by this point I would normally be irate and out for blood. 

The point is - kids are NOT always in the wrong.  So next time you're about to scold or correct a child...may it be yours or someone else's - try to give yourself a minute and ask if it's really necessary.  I'll bet more than 1/2 the time it's not.