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Autumn River Leaves
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Adventures at the Grocery Store…


Before children, there were many small tasks I took for granted – tasks that once took 15 minutes have now quadrupled – like grocery shopping. Struggles I used to have are infinitesimal compared to complications I now face with the wee little ones in the mix!

 

Here is my list of struggles:

 
  • Child-sized shopping carts.

Whoever came up with this idea was probably well-intentioned, but those carts create an array of issues. Keeping track of a child pushing his own cart, making sure he doesn’t put a lot of unnecessary items in it becomes a challenge.


  • Toys in a supermarket.

I never used to give toys in non-toy stores a second glance…until I had a child old enough to understand how stores function, what toys are, and what “want” is. Or need. He hasn’t distinguished between the two yet. And they are on EVERY SINGLE ENDCAP. For the love of all that is humane, why do they do this?


  • Incorrectly coded merchandise.

Before children, if there was an issue with how the groceries I purchased rang up, I would be able to take care of it before leaving the store. With children, that task is not so simple. If I am able to get to it at all, I end up making a return trip to the supermarket.


For example, last week I had five items that were on sale that did not ring through at sale price. That was five dollars that this poor woman couldn’t afford to lose. I had to go back to the store, sans child, which was fine for that moment, but I don’t always get child-free time to return to the store and wait.


  • Germs.

So many germs! In defense of the grocery store, they do everything they can to prevent the spread of germs. My local grocery store has a wipe dispensary next to the carts so patrons can wipe down the handlebars and any other desired part of the cart. Still, after the wipe-down, I can’t help but cringe when my kid tries to (and sometimes succeeds at) biting the handle of the cart. Gross.


Additionally, people can’t help themselves—they want to touch your babies. I get it. I love all the babies too…but even when I used a baby carrier, I had people wanting to paw at my child. Please don’t touch babies unless invited to do so! Parents are afraid of germs!


  • Learning what is and is not appropriate to say in public.

Oh my. Mine can’t talk yet, but I am afraid of the things he will say once he does, because kids say the darndest things. Fortunately, that’s one I have to look forward to!

 

What parenting obstacles have you encountered at the grocery store?

 
Image by Freepik - Wirestock
 

By: Sarah ‘Type B Mama’ Pearce – See her blog here…

 


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