Lessons in Line at the Grocery Store

from the time katie was born i have been a firm believer in exposing kids to the grocery store. i figured that we were going to inevitably be spending oodles and oodles of time at the grocery store, making it a necessity for them to learn how to behave. nine years and four children later, i am still a firm believer in taking kids to the grocery store. over the years that has meant driving 80 miles round trip, nursing in parking lots, cleaning up accidents in aisle 12, and ultimately braving a really difficult task. for awhile, when i had 4 children 5 years and under, i had to have two buggies, a buggy full of children and a buggy full of groceries. when katie was 5, she learned how to push the grocery buggy behind me so i wouldn't have push one buggy and pull another. grocery stores make buggies for families that have the perfect 1.86 children in tow... not for the "insane" 4 children in tow. so we improvised.

sometimes it meant that my kids had major meltdowns in a very public arena. but that just meant that i had the perfect opportunity to teach them what the expectations were for their behavior in this public arena, and we had a weekly opportunity to practice. have we been "those people" in the grocery store? heck yeah, more times than i can count! but you better believe that each of my children have quickly learned that i will not be bullied nor embarrassed for ANY reason in ANY location; private or public. this grocery store mom means business.

there is not a book big enough for me to list all of the life lessons my children have learned in the line at the grocery store. invaluable moments have been captured.  my children have witnessed grown ups acting like children, and they take note. i do not let the opportunity pass me by to discuss with them on our way home how inappropriate, unkind, and impatient some of those people have acted. no matter what our experience is in the line (and let me tell we have had some experiences), we are overly kind and sensitive to the cashier. what a hard job! and if we are the only ones all day long that can offer a "thank you" and a smile we have accomplished something real and life long. you can determine a lot about someone's character based on how they treat people in a grocery store.

my kids also know that grocery store time does not mean that the little devil inside of them gets to scream "give me" or "i wanna". sure, there are trips that require a little something sweet at the end to reward appropriate grocery store behavior, but that is the exception not the rule. they have learned that it is ok so see things that they really want and for that desire to not be instantly fulfilled or ever fulfilled. they have learned to distinguish a need from a want.

grocery store managers are scandalous! they know exactly how to highjack a happy grocery store trip by placing all the little gadgets that every child could possibly want on a small aisle, at their eye level, while the mother is totally preoccupied with unloading her buggy and paying for groceries. infuriating. again, we just have learned to take it in stride and every time we walk down that aisle of doom closer and closer to the cashier my children can say word for word what comes out of my mouth, "you can enjoy these toys while we wait in line, but not a one is coming with us.... so don't even ask!"

my kids have learned about a budget and price matching. they have learned to calculate prices and determine the best deal. consequently, they have learned that mom and dad are not made of money and every penny that we spend is a penny that Daddy has worked extremely hard for and we must be diligent to spend it wisely.

they've learned about nutrition and how to read an ingredient list and spot tricky, misleading, labels.

they have learned all about different people groups and their attire.

they have learned that christmas decorations should not come out in october based on my loud gasps and horrified looks.

they have learned how incredibly blessed we are with the resources we have at our finger tips.

they have learned about farmers and their hard work to supply meat, fruits and vegetables.

.......and so on and on forth....

for me, it wasn't just about them learning how to behave in the grocery store, it has been about FAR more than that. we still have our trips that are totally exhausting, but more often than not these days we are making it through the grocery store with hilarious conversation, lots of random knowledge exposed, and ONE buggy full of goodness.


happy grocery shopping!
~s