Department Stores

Not only do our kids' verbal communication skills make me smile (cringe) and laugh (cry), their actions and antics have a similar effect.
Either that or we try to wander by anonymously and pretend they don't belong to us!

When Tubby was a little one, about 3 or 4, we temporarily misplaced him in Target. Whilst the Rooster and I were frantically searching the store for him, he was apparently wandering the store at leisure, stopping to look at the items that took his interest.

And then we heard him - a fearful, confused and desperate wailing coming from somewhere in the children's clothing. The Rooster and I legged it over there and followed the cries until we were stopped short by the site of our small son : holding onto the now-detatched arm of a store manikin.

I think at this point the Rooster began laughing so hard he wasn't able to be of much assistance and so it was up to me to teach our little one that destroying the store property is not acceptable.

"Tubby!" I said as firmly and calmly as I could in such circumstances. I wanted to reassure him that we were there to help him, and decided to deal with the discipline issue of running away and destruction of property later.

He wheeled around to look at me, the wayward arm still firmly in his grip. It belonged to a older child-sized manikin and was still held within the Tshirt the manikin was modelling. When attached the hand would have been about Tubby's head height, but right now it was dangling down near his legs and, from the strain on his little arms, it was becoming quite heavy.

"What are you doing?" I asked in my very best mummy-will-fix-it-all-and-then-you're-in-big-trouble-mister voice.

He looked at me with tear filled eyes and I suddenly realised he wasn't scared or worried - he was mad!
"I tried to say hello to her, but she didn't answer me" he replied, in a voice brimming with indignity and disgust. "So then I shook her hand and she bloody hit me on the head!" And he threw the arm back at the offender, aimed his boot and gave "her" a good hard kick in the shins.

And stormed off as I lunged at the toppling manikin and tried to catch "her" before she fell.
Although perhaps I could have let her fall and land on the Rooster who was, by this time, almost doubled up with laughter.



And just to prove that one of our parenting priorities is consistency, we've also lost the Rabbit in a department store. (Kmart this time I think!) We'd flown interstate to visit family, and had gone on a shopping trip with Tubby and the Rabbit, who at this time, was aged about 20 months old.
As we were flying and travelling with as little luggae as possible, we'd taken along the umbrella stroller and left the bigger, heavier (but far more comfortable!) pram at home.

And regretted the move the entire trip. Because every chance he had, the Rabbit would wriggle out of the straps and get out instead of allowing us to push him and know his whereabouts!

In Kmart we wandered the aisles, and paused in the baby goods section. (because, as is often the case, I was pregnant and clucky!) We then moved onto clothing, electrical and bedding departments, and at some point amidst the sheets and doona covers I noticed the Rabbit was no longer in the stroller.

We panicked and the Rooster, his sister and I ran through the store searching desperately for him. I notified the store assistant at the front door, described him and asked them to watch out for him, and returned to trace my steps.

And found the Rabbit. Back in the baby goods section.

He had perused the prams and chosen the most padded, comfortable and reclining one, climbed in, attempted to do up the harnass and was patiently waiting for us to begin pushing him in his new "wheels"!

I think since then we've managed to not loose anyone for any length of time, in a department store. Or I haven't been aware they've been missing anyway!