My Little Bandit

I'll recap my morning a few weeks ago.  It was awful.  And that's saying it nicely!  B was in one of his moods which automatically sent me into overdrive because we were in public.  Let's just say that his bad mood and public don't mix very well! 

I was headed to Kindermusik one morning and we stopped to pick up ONE thing.  I explained to him before we went in that I expected good behavior from him and for him to obey.  He repeated the rules back to me and I naively thought all was well.  We entered the store and I had him carry the ONE thing I needed so that something would be in his hands so he couldn't touch everything around him.  So far so good.  We get to the cash register and that's where this plan falls apart.  A nice lady (who is also a mother of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, but whose kids were not with her) let me in front of her to check out.  I thanked her for her consideration and willingness to send me on my way.  B nicely places the item on the counter but then looks down and sees this large display of candy.  I see his eyes light up and he grabs a few of each thing to place on the counter.  I tell him no and he says "but I neeeed this."  That's when I realize he's unwrapped the bubblegum.  Great.  Now I had to buy it, but at least it's the kind Daddy T likes.  I tell him to put it all back and not to touch anything. 

After checking out, I take his hand to make him follow me to the car.  I was about to place him in the car when I looked in his hand and saw a lollipop.  My little boy STOLE a lollipop!  I marched him back inside and told him to place it on the counter and to tell the lady that he was sorry.  He did it willingly and very quickly.  The lady at the counter was nice and said that was okay.  I apologized, too, since I didn't see it when we walked out.  By the way, what kind of person designed the candy to go right in front at only a child's level?!  I'm convinced they get great satisfaction at seeing a mother fight with their child EACH AND EVERY TIME they step foot in their store.  It was probably a man!

Anyway, I told the grandparents how my day was because I knew they'd laugh which would lessen my anger.  My mother told my father, who then confesses that he got in trouble with his mom for stealing when he was little.  He tore off potato spuds to plant potatoes.  Nanny made him go back in and hand it back to the produce man who wasn't quite for sure what to do with those spuds since they're only good for growing potatoes.  I'll blame this incident on Dad's side of the family!