An elderly lady was admiring Rebecca and attempting to strike up a conversation with her (Rebecca was loudly speaking about types of milk at the time). Naturally, this did not work out. So, the lady tried to discuss Lucy with Becca, referring to Lucy as "your little brother". I corrected her and then beat her with my shopping cart.
No, I didn't beat her with my cart, but I did imagine expressing my frustration.
Why do people assume my baby girls are boys?!?!?!
They don't look masculine! (At least, they don't look masculine to me).
Lucy was wearing pink florals with ruffles. Granted, her Robeez were gender neutral airplanes, but, come on people!!! What does it take?
Is it because they have hair?
Why assume in the first place? Most babies are rather androgynous in appearance.
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There were pumpkins and scarecrows outside the store to mark the change in seasons. I had to run the cart through the scarecrow gauntlet because Becca was starting to freak out. If I were a smarter person, I would have kept this fact front and centre in my brain. Instead, I thought about the usual things that I contemplate in the grocery store - what is it like to be one of those lobsters in the tank? should we visit the lobsters or will it just make it harder when we have to leave them? why is chicken so expensive lately? what am I forgetting off the list? aren't these white pumpkins freaky! There were only 2 non-express lanes open when we were finished gathering our goods. I picked the lane that looked best to me. It did not look good to Rebecca. We were too close to the Hallowe'en display. It was an animatronic wonderland of rat-eating decapitated heads, skeletons agitating for freedom from inside little cages, creepy witches, and yes - more scarecrows. Two little boys were cavorting with legs from a life size plastic skeleton. If there is one thing Rebecca finds frightening beyond all else - it's animatronics. It can be an Easter bunny with a big smile, but she will still run for the hills proclaiming that it's "too scary".
You can see where my story is going, can't you?
She began to make spirited requests that we leave and go home NOW at the top of her lungs. She was very distressed and nothing I said or did seemed able to make it better. I changed to the other checkout lane - it was further from the display, but apparently not far enough. She hung her head forward so that her hair obscured her vision, and remained rigid in the cart, munching on her cookie so slowly that she liquified the corner. Maybe she wasn't even chewing it - just holding it between her clenched jaws.
How is Hallowe'en going to go this year??? I don't know. I think she is going to be terrified and no promises of candy galore will be sufficient to placate her fears. All morning she was practising saying "Trick or Treat" and was talking about Hallowe'en. Hmmm.
But the nicest thing happened, a lady who was ahead of us in line offered to let me take her place because I had two baboos with me.
1 comment:
Mad, People are dumb. You could probably stamp the word GIRL on Lucy's head and someone would still get it wrong. I'm a little worried about the Halloween thing. Becca has been so excited about it since last year. If you need an extra toddler handler for October groceries, let me know!
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