Not exactly Moses but we parted something...

So yesterday I went to a craft store with my kids. I had a stepping stones craft session with friends that night and needed supplies. I don't usually even bat an eye taking my kids places. My middle son has an tendency to throw fits every so often for not getting a toy (we hardly ever buy things!) if he's tired. But even that's rare anymore. So I happily trotted into the craft store not knowing I was stepping into a nightmare.

It started out innocently enough. We visited the bathroom first. My 3yo dd decided to get upset way too fast that we passed the water fountains without allowing her to drink. I told her not to cry, that we could easily give her a drink if she just asks. She did and we took her back and all was right with the world again. In hindsight, I should have taken that minor tantrum as a clue. So we walked on and I'm reading a (fiction mystery) book about art pigments and whatnot so I took them down the art aisle and we spent some time looking at all the different styles of paintings and we guessed which ones were paintings and which were photographs. I told my 9yo how there was speculation about Van Gogh licking his paintbrushes and getting poisoned by the toxic chemicals in his paints. That could be a reason for his mental illness and odd perspections in his later works (halos around the stars in Starry Nights for example). We covered art right there in the store. ;-)

So things were going fine. We headed down the models aisle at my middle sons request and spent some time looking at planes, trains, & automobiles. We talked a lot and just had minor annoyances of being asked to buy random things Middle Son was looking at. I reach the aisle that has the things I need for the Stepping Stone.

I don't even remember how it started. But do remember vividly how it ended. I just recall at one point telling my 3yo dd (the first to throw a fit this time) that she was to get out of the cart NOW so we could leave. She took this as a cue to scream louder. *sigh* Let me tell you something folks. When you're the lone adult with 5 small ones there is no fast escape. I handed the baby to dd7 for a second so I could get dd3 out of the cart. Baby T did NOT like this one bit and proceeded to scream at the top of HIS lungs. It was starting to sound like a duet until Middle Son decided he wanted part of this concert. As I'm lifting wailing dd3 out of the cart and onto my hip Middle Son asks me if he could get a toy. A stern "NO" is all it took and then the screeching duo turned into a Trio. So I hoisted the baby back on my other hip, ignored my poor older 2 kids questions about buying what we had in the cart and started walking.

So, there we were. A sight to be seen. As the crowd parted (yeah, it was quite busy of course) and stared I couldn't help but think about Moses and giggle internally. Everytime I passed a concerned person (one that didn't have that "I've been there" stare in their eye) I'd say something like "I'm sorry guys but we just can't continue shopping if you insist on screaming" Just so that they'd know I wasn't kidnapping these children. I've never heard dd3 scream like that in public and combined with Middle Son (baby T calmed down the minute I took him back) it was just not a fun experience.

Thank God for natural herbs like St. Johns Wort that's all I can say! I had started taking them 3 days earlier and I could really see how well they were working. As I lifted the crying ones into the car I realized how embarrassed and angry I was. But, it was as if I was looking outside of myself analyzing it. I felt distant from the emotions. Distant enough to act calmly and rationaly, something I don't always do unfortunately.

So, after everyone was strapped in I explained sternly but calmly how I will never tolerate that behaviour while shopping. That even if the cart was FULL, we would leave it just like we did today and come home with nothing. I figured natural consequences were punishment enough. I have a feeling they'll be little angels for awhile in public anyway. ;-)

As for my 7 & 9yo, I later thanked them for being so calm and compliant and wonderful in such a difficult situation. It's got to be rough for them sometimes too.

So share your hideous public moments with children and make me feel better will ya? ;-)