Yesterday was one of those days that my toddler just was being a toddler. We had to do a mall run which I normally avoid and especially avoids during back to school shopping. But we needed to get two things including a gift so off we went. My mother in law came with us for the much appreciated help.
The first meltdown came when we were in the shoe section of a department store. We (the salesperson) was trying to measure her foot to make sure we had the right size. I know a couple of moms reading this will get a kick out of it because you mentioned your little ones had the same meltdown. The poor guy was so flustered he was telling me her foot was a size much larger than it is. How do I know this? Because I have six pairs of shoes in that size just waiting to be worn and I need something to get me there. Needless to say he was flustered when I told him to just bring me anything in a particular size. Ironically enough he had nothing in that size so we left empty handed.
The second outburst came after about 30 minutes in the carriage as we were sitting to have a cup of coffee. Little miss decided she no longer wanted to sit. So here we have a stroller, our Skip Hop backpack that has everything a toddler could need, two bags as we were able to buy a cute fall vest and some long sleeve tees for her and a child who wants nothing more to do with sitting. So as you can imagine the yelling starts, the child comes out, the carriage falls because of the weight of the bags and the looks and stares begin. At that time I proceed to take out a toddler hand harness to put on the little miss. If you’re wondering what the heck that is I’ve included a stock photo below.
Knowing my child wasn’t happy I had a feeling she’d start running so this was a way that I could keep her safe in that environment. She had the freedom she wanted and I wasn’t fighting with her every two minutes because Miss Independent doesn’t want to hold your hand. I will say that I normally have a backpack harness to use in large crowded areas and this was my first time with the hand one. We walked through the food court all the way to other side of the mall stopping about 20 times as you know how sidetracked toddlers can get. But what I found is there was no screaming. There was no fussing.
On the other hand the looks from others was amazing. Perhaps it was the crazy mommy guilt but I swear you’re being judged with each step. One mom who had 2 in a carriage and one in her arms kept looking at me so I spoke up and said, “She’s a runner so I have to make sure she’s safe.” She responded, “Oh lady I think it is brilliant and want to buy at least one!” as she gave me a reassuring smile. Sometimes that is all you need, even from a stranger. You know that you’re doing the best you can in the situation so move onward and upward. You’ll second guess yourself as a mom a million times but stick to your gut and you will succeed!
