Shopping nightmare

What I love about the books here is how they deal with everyday situations that one encounters while raising kids. Today I read “ Im so mad” by Robert H Harris and illustrated by Nicole Hollander. This book talks about a situation almost every parent has been in at some point in time – kids’ misadventures in a grocery store. Frankly, I try to avoid doing grocery shopping along with my son because the shopping experience not only turns unpleasant, but becomes embarrassing and physically and mentally exhausting. Well, it’s not just for any reason the candies, mini toys are strategically placed at the check-out counter right??

In the book, the author portrays the unenviable position of a mom held to ransom by her daughter’s tantrum in a grocery store. No prizes for guessing what the tantrum was for……her daughter perspective on healthy eating differs from that of her mother’s. In other words, she wants ice cream and that too, right then, before lunch (We’ve all been there …haven’t we?) When refused she becomes inconsolable. I like the way the mother handles her daughter’s public meltdown and the consequent mess. What I admire the most was how she held on to her ground only choosing to yield to her daughter’s reasonable demand. The next day, however, all’s forgotten and the daughter gets her wish, after all.

Another book on the not-so pleasant grocery shopping experience is “Something Good’ by Robert Munsch which talks about a father who goes shopping with his kids. The father is upset with his daughter filling up the cart with ‘appetite destroying food’. What happens while he tries to put them away is amusing to read. In this book, however the father is shown giving in to his daughter’s demand….something Abhay immediately pointed out ….. ‘Her Daddy buys chocolates’!!! If only Daddys know better!!! :-)