Day Two Hundred Thirty-Six: A New Stunt

When you are the mother of four, you can often feel like you've seen every stunt a kid can pull. But, this evening, I experienced a completely new one. My youngest child, who is generally one of the most compliant and agreeable children I have ever met, decided to try on a different personality for a while. Just he and I were grocery shopping, and he was pushing the cart and generally being quite helpful. We stopped to pick up something, and he asked for an adjacent item, which he must have known I was going to say no to, and that is exactly what I said. I then continued walking and turned to the next aisle while he lagged with the cart. That little toot went ahead and put the forbidden item in the shopping cart, which I failed to notice during the rest of our shopping trip. Then, while I was busy talking to the clerk and sorting through some coupons, he put it on the conveyor belt, and it was rung up and bagged before I even looked up. And, while I was bringing in groceries, he unloaded his "prize" and put it in the pantry with the label turned so I wouldn't notice it. But, of course, a sibling found it and realized it was something we wouldn't normally have in the house. Busted. This truly came out of nowhere and just goes to show that kids will surprise you, even when you think you've seen everything.