Thursday, May 15, 2008

5 Ways to Avoid the Wal-Mart Meltdown*

1. Do not even drive by Wal-Mart if it is even close to nap time. (especially if you don't really NEED to go)

2. If you are foolish enough to do this don't even think about pushing the cart anywhere near the left hand side of the building. (This is where our toy section is for those of you with a backwards Wal-Mart). If you need something from Health and Beauty aid, gardening center, or the photo center just FORGET IT, TURN BACK NOW!!!!

3. If you do get close to the toy section and decide to give in....you are wasting your breath if you have this conversation with a 3 year old.

Me: (getting eyeball to eyeball) Ok. We can look but we are not buying anything. OK?

Jack: Ok.

4. If you have had a conversation with your husband about buying Jack a bike and decide maybe you can go ahead and get it while you are there, immidiately attempt to run over your own toes with the shopping cart. Believe me. It will quit hurting momentarily.
Jack was too big for the smallest bike and that was The One He Wanted. We will secretly buy the bigger one later. (and yes....I did tell him we were not buying anything so now I'm giving him mixed signals.)

5. Never try to rationalize with a napless 3 year old who has been known to throw explosive temper tantrums when deciding not to buy said item.
I now wish I would have bought the smaller bike before the tantrum started, I mean, c'mon I knew it was coming. I could have taken it back later and saved myself from an hour of intense screaming. (Him not me....of course I wanted to....)

So, maybe this is all common sense to you.

Maybe you are saying, you should have known better.

Well I know.....*sigh* please tell me I'm not the only one who does stupid things like this!!!! (I also need encouragement that this will get better!!!)

*This child is not immune from good ole' fashion whippins. This instance, however, was entirely my fault. Any advice on tantrums is welcomed!!!!

11 comments:

Mandy said...

No advice, just I feel your pain. I try to leave our son with his grandparents when I have to go to Wal-Hell. Congrats on your celebrity newspaper picture and I'm glad you had a fun (minus the barfing) time in Mexico.

Becky said...

Oh, man...I SOOO feel your pain. Let me know when you figure something out, cuz I'm right in line behind ya!

I blame the problem of tantrums on the crowd who is too quick to yell, "Child Abuse!"...because if we were STILL able to spank our kids in public without fear of Child Protective Services coming for a year's worth of 'home inspections', there would be no screaming, tantrummy children...just obedient, polite ones, lol.

We have friends (the husband who grew up in rural Oregon, God bless his heart) and he has publically spanked his toddler daughter in Southern California. A stranger came up to him once after he did this and flipped out, "ABUSE!" He was all, "SHUT UP, Lady! This is MY child, and I WILL discipline her as I see fit because I want her to grow up to be a law abiding citizen. If you don't like that, then go tell the cops." He pointed down the street towards the police station.

She walked the opposite direction in a bit of a huff, but apparently saw the logic in that, and he never got any calls as a result.

All that to say, I hear ya. I avoid the toy aisle like the plague, too!

K. Tilley said...

Oh Brooke, I try to avoid Wal-Mart at all times but occasionally have to go there once every three months or so. I go to Wallgreens, they have a good selection at about the same price and I'm in and out faster. I don't think they have bicycles there.......LOL

Cheryl said...

You are a great Mom and there is no instructions on this issue girl. Just have to go with your feelings and you do not do "stupid things". You are just a Mom who loves her kids, like the rest of us. Just take it one day at a time, you are doing a great job with them!! Missed you Tuesday night. Love Ya!

Irish Coffeehouse said...

I promise you it does get better. Much better in fact. The downfall is as they mature into tweens and teens they conjure up some quite intriguing justification strategies. But hey, at least they begin to "reason". :)

You're doing great! Hang in there. The days are long, but the years are oh so short!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I ALWAYS avoided the toys. Period. I was not one of them moms that would even go look unless they had birthday money. Now I just totally avoid Wal-mart as much as humanly possible because I assure you it can ruin the best of days!!

Deedra said...

I am with you on Walmart! I don't ever go near the toys but yesterday there was a big bin of balls in the isle on the OTHER side of the building and Carter had a meltdown for one of the Snow white ones. He thought it was Dora..lol (why couldn't his dad have been there for this one??) anyway, I told him that it was a ball for girls and did he want to look like a sissy? (mean i know, but it confused him enough to shut him up for a while since he has no clue what a sissy is yet!) Anyway, once he came to himself he proceeded to tell everyone we met that he was wet (he wasn't) and needed to poop (he didn't). I got all kinds of funny looks as I didnt' even try to explain, I just smiled and kept pushing my buggy with the wet poopy sissy in it...lol. It was a QUICK trip!

Weelo said...

Brooke,
I'm flashing back, not to my kids tantrums..but my own. My grandmother may she rest in peace, spent
many an afternoon picking me up the floor of various stores after I fell out because she wouldn't cave and get me what I wanted.
So..yes, it gets better, cuz I hardly ever do that anymore!

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

i'm loving deedra's comment about telling carter he'd look like a sissy. we've used that one many a time on my pack of boys...lol

Lisa

Wendy said...

Yeah, I don't EVER go near the toys in Wal-Mart or any other store unless it's absolutely necessary. I had to go get a birthday present for a friend's kid the other day and had no one to watch my daughter in the meantime, and I actually considered pulling out one of the ugly stuffed animals she was given at birth and giving him that instead of facing the toy section. In the end, I braved the toy section.

Sue Wilkey said...

Telling a 3 year old 'we'll look but not buy" is like standing in front of my husband naked and saying you can look but it's not going anywhere. ;)