A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child. --Forest E. Witcraft

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Just Shoes

Oh, the trials of parenting that we sometimes pass through. Today I discovered that not only Buddy, but also BB, was desperately in need of new tennis shoes. Well, it so happens that I also noticed that the store where I normally buy the kids shoes was having a "buy-one-get-one-half-off" sale. I checked the size for BB and took Buddy to the store on the way to cub scouts. I told him he would have to pick quickly, because we didn't have much time - twenty minutes to be in and out of the store, to be exact.

We found his size, and I showed him his choices. That's when the meltdown started. He hated ALL of them. Buddy fixated on one pair of shoes that were $10 more than all the others. I told him no; I wasn't spending the extra money when the others would be fine. He had four choices. I asked him to pick and went around the corner to get a pair of shoes for BB.

When I came back, Buddy said he didn't want any. I told him that either he would pick a pair or I would choose, because he couldn't continue to wear the ones with holes. He stood up and started to stomp off. I ended up picking a pair and paying while he stood by the door scowling.

In the car, he started fussing and whining. I told him that wasn't going to resolve anything. At least he had a new pair of shoes. I explained to him that many children don't get to choose shoes at all. They are lucky to get a pair that fits, and sometimes it is from a food bank or other used clothing store. He couldn't really fathom that thought, commenting that we lived in America where that didn't happen. I assured him it did, probably right down the street from us sometimes.

As we approached cub scouts, he calmed down and offered to pay the extra to get the other pair of shoes. I told him I would think about it, but that after his fit, I wasn't so sure. He apologized and really tried to make amends.

During cub scouts, I took BB's new shoes home and let him try them on.  They fit and he LOVED them!

When I picked Buddy up after cub scouts, he was in a good mood and nicely asked if we could exchange his shoes. I said we would go check. We returned to the store and tried on the pair he wanted. I had picked up his money while at home and again explained to him that if he wanted these shoes, he would have to spend his money for the difference. He agreed and we went to pay.

Surprise, surprise! The shoes he wanted were on sale for 45% off, but they weren't marked. That made them less than the first pair. In addition, the sales clerk had not reduced the price of the first pair due to my AAA discount. She commented she was so glad we had come back, because she felt bad she had forgotten. We walked out of the store with the pair of shoes Buddy wanted, he didn't have to pay extra, and I got a refund of over $6. Sweet deal!

On the way home, Buddy again apologized for his behavior and offered me the $10 because he threw such a fit. I told him he didn't have to pay me the money, but that he should consider this a learning experience. I also reminded him that if he wanted to wear the new shoes tomorrow, he would need to get up the first time I woke him and dress without any fussing. Let's hope the morning goes smoother than tonightl

No comments:

Post a Comment