Fed Up Grandmother

[preraph]

I was at Target earlier, and you know what that's like. There was a middle aged woman with two baskets, one of which had two kids in it, plus another kid on the ground. The kid in the basket (where I USED to like to put my fruit until I thought about it) was screaming at the top of his/her (I couldn't tell - it was just one big red screaming trainwreck with blonde hair) lungs while the woman was trying to check out. And the whole time she's trying to get the kids to move out of the way and move the baskets out of the way and just really struggling to get paid and get out of there. The whole time I'm wondering why she's not addressing the screaming one to get it to tone it down. Then as they looked like they might get through the process and it was time to move the kids from the basket, the woman, very sharply, yells "Jason, where are you going??" And there was the father of the kids, probably 29 years old or so trying to ease out the front door. The whole time he stayed as far away from them as possible, I guess, instead of helping her with them. Lord. And when she yelled at him, he just put on this fake innocent smile on his face like he had no idea she needed help with HIS KIDS. If I'd been her, I'd have picked up that screaming one and just handed it to him and told him to go to the dang car. I bet it was his day for weekend custody or something, so he takes them straight to Grandmas and has her do everything. It just wears me out wondering why some of these people agree to have children when they clearly have so little interest in being involved with them. To me, he looked like he didn't even want people to know he was with them. I almost told her he's not too old for a heinie whuppin.

[pyrosgal]

Jun 20, 2009 16:50:12 GMT -5 preraph said:

The kid in the basket (where I USED to like to put my fruit until I thought about it)

I was thinking that very same thing the other day in the grocery store.

Sorry your trip to Target was such a bummer. My run last Saturday was filled with similar screeching and what not. Target (at least around here) isn't as bad as Wal-Mart though. Wal-Mart makes me feel like handing out condoms at its front door.

[malagata]

Hahaha! Whoop his heiny! I wish you would have told her that, it would have been priceless.

[preraph]

Wal-mart is really bad. Target seems a little more roomy or clean or something. I tell you, in Wal-Mart, I feel like I need to carry a santizing cloth with me at all times. You know, I'm not at all a germ-o-phobe, but I have my limits. I mean, I don't cringe at using public toilets, but I cringe at opening the door to them. I have no problem with sitting down in dirt or on a floor that's not too clean, but putting my hands on the same place (the grocery cart, the pen at the register, the card number pad) where I know there's been literally thousands of hands, at least some of them snotty, poopy or virusy, just turns my stomach, especially now that swine flu is an issue in my state. I know it actually helps build your resistence to come in contact in small doses, though, so no one should over use those antimicrobial wipes and soaps. I don't, in fact, use the soaps or gels at all, but now I do use the wipes in the grocery store, because it's just so gross. I wipe down that top basket thoroughly, you know, where babies legs and butts have been smashed up against it. I just wish they'd only have certain ones designated for children and leave the other ones for food.

[kiddinla]

great idea > " I just wish they'd only have certain ones designated for children and leave the other ones for food." Could you imagine the store manager enforcing this? Excuse me, this cart isn't for children.

[preraph]

Yeah, it's a problem. But maybe parents should be required to carry liners at least. Hey, maybe I'll write a diaper company and suggest they market grocery cart liners and it will spread like wildfire. It needs to cover it completely, though, not just their butts. And then kids shouldn't be allowed in the main part of the basket at all.