Barbie and Hot Wheel Grocery Store Drama

I guess it’s my own fault.  My husband suggested I wait to run to the store to restock our fridge after he got home.  But it had been over a week since the kids had been anywhere, other than a grandparents’ houses, and when I mentioned the grocery store, they were excited, hoping we’d go to McDonald’s, too.  (I have to admit, the cheeseburgers were calling me, too.)

I knew that any leftover holiday decorations would be on sale, but I had forgotten the multitude of toys that the grocery store had before Christmas.

IF they had stayed in that “Christmas” aisle, all would have gone smoothly.  But, instead, they were displayed in front of the lunch meat area, at the end of the cereal aisle, and in various other areas of the store.

I’m sure I speak for every parent when I say, thanks.  Really.

I could avoid one aisle, but not the entire store.

Right away my daughter spotted the October Barbie, which she has wanted for a while now.  I couldn’t find it back in October for her birthday.  In fact, I couldn’t find it all the times I looked for it between then and Christmas.  But today, it was right there at kid-level.

She was so excited.

I wanted to say no, but I remembered how hard I had looked for it before and couldn’t find it.  So I made a deal with her, we’d get it but she wasn’t getting to have it today — after all, she just got so many presents!  I told her I’d buy it for a special surprise one day.  Thankfully, at 5 she was able to understand that.

I continued to push the bulky cart with the “car” in front.  (Every time we get one of those I swear it will be the last time…)  Hot Wheels, Barbies, and princess dolls dangled just at the perfect height for my 2 passengers to see.   That’s when I spotted the Matchbox set with the street sweeper and garbage truck, and I tossed it into the cart, beneath the Barbie, so I’d have a little something for the boy when she did get her special Barbie.

I forgot all about it, until we were in the check out lane and the 2 monkeys in the cart had to be separated.  I took the little man and told him to stand with Mommy.  Of course, he has the eyes of an eagle and he spotted those cars right away.

“Hot Wheels!” he yelled in delight.

Crap.

Maybe I should have told him when I picked up the cars, but I knew he’d never understand that he wasn’t getting them today, so I had kept it secret.  I said a tiny prayer that he’d forget them when we got to the car.  (Okay, so I knew that would never happen, but I was still hoping.)

There were tears.  Lots of tears.  I reminded him several times of all the presents he’d just gotten.  “But I want lots of Hot Wheels,” he cried.

From feeling like a hero for saying yes to buying the Barbie, to feeling like the meanest mom on the planet for saying no to getting the cars right then in just a matter of minutes.  It’s all in the line of duty when your the mom.