I went grocery shopping with three kids this morning, something I typically try not to do. But John needed to get to school, and our refrigerator is in a state that makes it very easy to clean (ie, empty other than condiments and eggs and leftover pasta salad), so I took the kids to the grocery store.
Danielle was buckled in the front, Jeremiah was sprawled out in the back with his Leapster2, and I convinced Isaac that it was advantageous to walk because then he could help me choose what to put in the cart. He helped pick out apples, we found out that 5 apples weighs twice as much as a bag of baby carrots, voted on whether to get red potatoes or yellow potatoes to make mashed potatoes with in a couple days but got both because we had a tie, and decided that since the bag of mini Oreo's weighed a lot less than the package of regular sized off-brand creme-filled cookies we should get the bigger of the two.
An interesting event from the store: While we were in the beginning of our excursion, choosing our apples, a lady stopped us and said, "I need to tell you: You're a wonderful mother." Hmm, interesting.
A fun conversation from the end of our trip: We had a cute (old, very old) gentleman bagging our groceries, and he asked, "Where'd you pick up those things in your cart?" "Well, this boy came from the produce, this one from the meat. But the little girl definitely came from the chocolates." They didn't have any bars to scan, though, which is good because I'm sure sure if I'd be able to afford them. They're priceless.
Maybe I'll take my kids with me more often. :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Grocery Shopping...with Children
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7 comments:
This is adorable! Can I come too next time? Maybe I will hide in the toiletries with a barcode sticker on my chin, although I think I am too big to fit in those scales for Isaac to see if I weigh more than a bag of potatoes :)
That's Darling
Alison you ARE an amazing mom! I have always thought that. Oh gosh, I miss you guys! I wish they would mass produce your kids so that I could buy one at Walmart or something, but I agree...I don't think I could afford a single one. I miss you guys :(
I'll confess. I take my boy scouts shopping. I require them to have a written menu, shopping list & I set a budget, $6 per person for 3 meals. I like to do it right after a troop meeting because they are in uniform and the community can see "scout in action."
I try to take 2 scouts because any more than that have difficulty coming to a decisions (white or wheat bread etc.) In this case 3 really a crowd.
As much as possible, I like to stay out of the decision making process. I'm mainly there to be a consultant, checkbook and the designated driver.
Here is what I have observed: 1) only a few of my scouts actually shop with their parents; 2) they know little about choosing produce; and 3) it doesn't take long for them to realize that they can get more food — a bag of potatoes will feed a lot more than a bag of tater tots – if it is not preprocessed.
They also learned that if they se a calculator they can avoid an embarrassing situation of exceeding their budget and have to ask the cashier to subtracting items from the purchase.
More parents, like you, need to take their children shopping.
I went shopping all the time with my parents, though it was not intended for educational purposes. There were no overt lessons on budgeting, or fiscal responsibility. And I still don't know how to judge the freshness of some produce. But I think I still learned a few things over the years. Like getting your milk from as far back in the dairy section as you can reach, since the freshest milk is in the back.
I was once in the Brooklyn, NY public library with 5 of my kids plus a cousin, all pre-adolescent. A lady came up to me and asked, "Are they all yours?" But before I could answer she said, "God bless you." and then hugged me and walked away.
In contrast I've also been at a park, again in NY, where someone asked me, after seeing several of my children come to me at different times, how many children I had. When I told her, her mouth dropped open in shock and she was speechless. Her husband finally told her to close her mouth.
I think God sends people to say nice things to mothers because we need to hear that we are appreciated. It also helps counteract the dirty looks we get from people who think we're over-populating the world. I know from experience just how scary shopping (or going anywhere) with kids can be.
I also know that it is important to do it. Good mothering makes a big difference.
Alison - just so you know I took your husband and his little brother Peter and sister shopping and spent the whole time chasing the boys out of the clothes racks. Lisa was an angel sitting in her seat until John pulled her toes and made her cry. That was the last time I went shopping with little kids. I would wait until their father came home and then go to the 24 hour grocery stores. (strange people-men shope in the middle of the night) Clothes shopping just never happened again. Mom
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