The scariest trip to Wal Mart EVER!

I have a story for you. It's not pretty, it's not fun, in fact, it could have played out a little bit like a horror film. A scary psychological thriller.

Yesterday I had the day off, I promised the kids we would go and pick out some water toys they could play with outside. Like some water guns, some water balloons and fun stuff for them to play with during the day. I struggle sometimes keeping them on a schedule as I work from home and they play together all summer. Having "fun items" mixed with crafty activities are a way I keep them off the TV and playing together.

My kids are pretty good in the store. Most of the time. As Toby gets older he seems to be my "shopaholic". He will wake up "thinking about" something he would like me to buy him. He has told me in the past... "Mom I just can't stop thinking about that Star Wars toy," or Mom I just can't stop thinking about that toy Kale had from McDonalds. He gets himself all fired up about one thing.

I had no idea he was primed and ready to have a shopaholic moment in Wal Mart. We ventured to the toy aisle, to look at the water guns. It baffles me that they can try to sell me a WATERGUN made out of plastic for $25.00? Seriously? Of course, this is the watergun Toby opted for. I was looking more at the waterguns that were two for $8.00 which still seemed expensive to me. When i was little we had the waterguns you could buy 100 in the bag for like $5.00. I'm sure they have them at Oriental trading company or something. But not my boy... he wants the massive soaker gun that lights up and pumps new water and shoots a steady stream.

I explained to Toby that the gun he wanted was too expensive. So we got this cool toy called a splash ball. YOu put a water balloon in it and they toss it back and forth with a timer on it. WHen the timer runs out he ball squeezes the balloon and pops it. It was reasonable and seemed like fun. He's also been begging me for bubbles and they are a cheap fun thing to do in the summer so I bought some bubbles. Grace picked out the waterguns that were less expensive. So we were off to find me now some flip flops.

As we passed the "action figure" aisle... Toby ran down it... and spotted an Optimus Prime helmet. Cost of said helmet. $45.00. (again... I gasp) Toby's eyes welled up, totally excited telling me all the reasons he LOVED it. Telling me he wanted it, telling me I should buy it. Here is the deal friends. I cannot even crouch down next to my son to explain to him or talk to him about the helmet. I am bent over at a 90 degree angle, barely able to breathe and with every word feeling like I am going to pass out. So my sentences were short, as was my patience and my ability to communicate to my 5 year old was hindered BIGTIME. So as I politely told him no, he BURST into wailing. Crying and yelling telling me he had to have it. He attached himself to a big pole in the middle of the aisle, when I held his arm, he pinched me and wacked my leg. Normally, I would have picked him up and put him in the cart... but I cannot lift him. So picture this, I am prying my son of the pole, asking him to stop wailing and begging him to come with me that we would put the Helmet on his birthday list... which he did not care. The wailing continued, I was able to get him off the pole and walking with me and my lopsided cart(don't even get me started on that). I drive into the main aisle and block a man coming from the other direction. Toby spins out of my hands starts pinching screaming and slapping my leg twirling and yelling. I did not even look at the man I was blocking. I was too embarrassed to look up. My prego belly bent at a 90 degree angle again... gasping and begging my son to stop and try to pull it together. At this point he kept saying, " I just can't stop crying."

So we pass by the video section and of course he wants to run in and try to play some kind of Mario brothers Wii game. I tell him no again and the wailing persists. It sounded and felt like with each aisle we passed, each step we took I was torturing my son from the inside out. (I think we need to get out more!) On our way up to the check out a Wal Mart employee stops in the aisle where I am trying to talk Toby down and says, "Can I help you with anything?" Her intentions were good but my patience was gone and I was about to launch the flip flops I was holding like a boomerang at her to communicate exactly how much help she could give me. Unless she had a roll of duct tape in her pocket she would not be able to help.

I had made a mental list of things I needed to get and at this point, I had forgotten like two or three things I needed. As I sat in the check out 5 people deep with my son telling me he would be good so he could get some light up sucker at the checkout. I just rested my head on my hand on the cart and started crying. Tears were flowing... they weren't stopping, I was sad for my son, I was sad I could not remember my last two items, I was sad that I could not pick my son up and control the situation, felt very disabled, tired and sad. As I continued to tell Toby no on all the things he wanted me to buy him... I just kept crying. When we got in the car I was able to strap my sweet son into his carseat. Look him in the eye and speak to him. It comforted me. He apologized, he cried and I cried some more.

Please note: my 7 year old daughter who normally is the one talking and chatting and shopping was as stunned as I was. She was silent the entire shopping trip. Until we were in the car and she said to me... Mom... do you think I could get a treat for "being good" in Wal Mart? I had to laugh... I told Grace that sometimes we are just good because that is how we are supposed to act. Not because we get something for being good.

I had to share my scary Wal Mart story. My big huge pregnant belly, hormones and exhaustion made this one trip that had to go down on paper. I love you my sweet Toby and I pray that someday you have a wonderful little boy who loves to shop as much as you do! :)

Love, Mommy