Friday, August 21, 2009

What Would You Do?

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NOTE: Please, please, please fill out the poll in the upper left hand corner. Thanks!!!!!!

The other day I went grocery shopping with Gio. I got out of the store with everything, and only one trip to the potty.

"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroo............wait I just went, never mind," says Gio.

"Phew," I say.

Back to the point of the story. When I got to the car, I realize inside the cab of the fire engine grocery cart, is an item I did not pay for.

I would have rather walked naked through the parking lot with bad underwear on, than go back inside the store.

"I'm not going back to pay for the item, but next time I'm here I'll pay for it," I say to myself. "Yeah right I'll never go back to the store and do that."

Then I notice one of the water bottles leaking.

I immediately had feelings of entitlement.

"Save Mart owes me this box of raisins, as compensation for this leaking water bottle, and all past leaking water bottles," I say to myself. "And for every time they've ever, over charged me, that I didn't know about!"

Then I looked at Gio and thought, "I am a parent now, and I need to be a good role model for him. I don't want spend all of his adult life visiting him in jail, do I? Probably, not."



"Get out of the car, we have to go back to the store," I say to Gio.

"No, I'll wait here, you go," says Gio, who thinks because we do this at home, we can do it everywhere. Wrong.

"We have to go back," I say. "You didn't give the raisins to the check out lady, and now we have to return them, because we didn't pay for them," I explain.

And that was my solution to the problem. Return the item to the store, it's rightful owner. I went to the same person, who checked us out, and explained we wanted to give the item back and why.

She looked sad, I know she wanted to just give us the item, or buy it for Gio herself. She had bonded with him when we were in her line.

I also thought I heard her thinking, "Geez, lady, why didn't you just keep the box of raisins? Poor kid."

Yeah right, more like poor Mom, and in my opinion, it was a great opportunity for him to learn an important lesson: If you steal, you're going to hell, oops, I mean jail.

Anyways, I know what I did, and I know What Jesus Would Do, but Internet what would you do in that situation? Please take a moment out of your precious time to comment or fill out the poll above. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

8 comments:

nana/moma said...

Oh boy. It has happened more than once. Always said I would pay for that bag of licorice when I went back to the store. The store finally went out of business solving part of my problem and the licorice finally got eaten.
Actually, I probably have done quite a few of your responses Luckily my child was never a witness to my actions so you stayed out of jail.

EndofTired said...

What a great mom! It's good to see your thought process here. Helps a lot. Thanks!

wendy@areyoubreathing.com said...

haha

wendy@areyoubreathing.com said...

yeah there are always more than 1 or 2 options

Sara said...

I'd take them back and it would be a lesson to my child about honesty and that you have to put all your items on the conveyor belt, now, please!

I totally love the imagery in "I would have rather walked naked through the parking lot with bad underwear on"!

wendy@areyoubreathing.com said...

Yeah it's a great teaching opportunity. I'm always looking for those. Glad you liked the visual, sometimes I'd rather do that than go shopping ;-)

Unknown said...

What a great lesson for your son! Great job, Mom!

wendy@areyoubreathing.com said...

Thanks Jess it ain't easy! He was bummed, but hopefully he learned.

 
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