I have said this before, and I forgot it obviously, so maybe if I repeat it, I will remember it - DO NOT SHOP WITH A SEVEN YEAR OLD, really, ever, don't. I was heading out to pick up dh's Christmas present and a few odd and ends and wanted to take the 4 year old, he is a better shopper, but he emphatically told me he was shopping with daddy. Ok, so I bribed the seven year old to go with me, we would go to Build A Bear if he came with me. Fine, he guessed he would go.
We were headed to the mall to only go to four stores, all within the same area. We didn't have to wonder from one end to the other. We start at JC Penny's, from there went downstairs to Christopher & Banks, Disney Store (boy is daddy going to be happy with the Christmas pj's this year, but that's a whole other post!), Build A Bear and then out of the mall to WalMart. Before we had made it out of JC Penny's the whole "I am tired, how long, how many things are we getting" started. We trek on and four bags later and two build a bears, we are leaving the mall when we walked by the box lady. I stopped because who can wrap a pair of jeans without a box, well, it's certainly not me. This is where I just about lost the last nerve I had woke up with. This is how it went "MOM, how long are we going to be here. I am tired, my back hurts, my legs will break if I walk another inch, I swear mom they will, my back OH MY BACK, I am dehydrated, I want to go home, I can't walk to the van, how long is this slow lady going to take, MOM MY BACK HURTS, my arms are cold, it's hot in here, I want to go home. I know dad is already home and Todd is playing the game. Great, my back hurts, I want to be done with this mall."
The poor girl, I think, she felt sorry for me. I was going to ask her if I could leave him there to help hand out boxes but I don't think she could be very patient with him and somebody would be in jail for taping his mouth shut! Anyway, we make it to the van and I assured him that what he was doing was being plain lazy. We didn't really do that much walking and maybe he needed to do more exercising if he was exhausted after that short jaunt. He then says, "I already exercised enough, I walked around that mall, that was more than enough." I told him I had to do shopping all the time, did he hear me complain? I do this several times a week and if I didn't, there would be no presents under the tree for him.
When the poor boy found out we were going to WalMart next, I nipped the poor pitiful shopper in the bud. I informed him that he would go in with me, he would be HAPPY and be the best shopper ever OR he would not play his video game AT ALL, he would be working out so he could build some endurance to be able to do a little shopping at a time. May I just say, I had the best shopper EVER with me?!! We must have went from one end of the store to the other at least four times and he never got tired or complained! Mind over matter, mom will ALWAYS win!
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