Parenting

One Of The Greatest Joys Of Motherhood Is Shopping With Kids

by Annie Reneau
Dmitry Kalinovsky / Shutterstock

There is nothing I enjoy more than taking my children shopping with me. From the time they were babies screaming for no apparent reason in the grocery cart, having them accompany me on my grocery trips has been one of life’s greatest joys. Children bring so much delight and excitement to even the most mundane of experiences, and shopping is the greatest opportunity to witness such blessings in action. #lovemykids

My absolute favorite thing is when I realize that I need something for dinner and the only time I can get to the store is during nap time. Kids are so hilarious when they’re tired! All the whining and the crying and the begging and the wailing — people without children just do not know what they are missing! It’s good for kids to learn to be flexible, so taking them out when they’re exhausted is really just teaching them good life lessons, right? It’s responsible parenting, really. #charactercounts

I just adore it when the kids ask me every 30 seconds if they can get something they see on the shelves. Gotta nurture that sense of curiosity, you know! Questions are how the little darlings learn, so let them ask away. I mean, the answer is “no” 99% of the time, but that’s okay. Kids need to hear “no” 500 times in one hour. It’s good for them to exercise perseverance! #grit

And when we just have two more aisles to go and they start melting down? Oh, that’s just the best. Especially when I’ve told them that if they don’t stop whining we’re going to have to leave the cart right there in the store and go to the car. They just keep on whining because the only thing they really want in that moment is to leave the cart and go to the car! They’re so smart! Always keeping us on their toes, those little geniuses. #soadvanced

I also love it when I have to resort to bribery because I’m not going to abandon a full cart of groceries I spent an hour collecting just to appease my child’s desire to leave the store. There’s no conflict there! Of course not! This is just how I express to my angel offspring that I hear them and love them. “Yes, sweetie, I know you feel like this grocery store outing is akin to the seventh circle of hell. Life is hard, but I’m here for you. Whew! Listen to those healthy lungs! Let’s open these cookies in the cart that I haven’t purchased yet, shall we? Not those ones? Okay, how about these ones on the shelf? Yes, let’s get two boxes. Oh, three? Four? Sure, okay. Look at you counting!” #teachablemoments

Let’s not forget the slightly older kids who like to play hide-and-seek or run down those wide aisles at Costco. Kids need to be more active these days, right? Too much screen time and whatnot. Childhood obesity is a big problem, and so are scary clowns running through our neighborhoods, so the store is a perfect and safe place for kids to get their exercise! It’s just so refreshing to see kids running wild without their faces buried in a tablet or smartphone. Michelle Obama would approve, I’m sure. #letsmove

Surely you can see why shopping with my children is one of the greatest joys of my mothering journey. I mean, when we’re traipsing down the aisles at Target, I never wish I could be there alone, sipping a latte, slowly checking out every clearance endcap. That would be so boring and predictable! Kids bring a zest the shopping experience, and I’m 100% sure I’m going to miss these invigorating outings terribly when they’re grown and flown. #itgoesbysofast

Maybe I’ll borrow some kids to take to the store with me when mine are too old to take on shopping adventures. I’m sure that regular, leisurely trips to the store where I can totally focus on what I’m doing would just make me lazy and old before my time. Oh, no, these gray hairs aren’t from my kids! They’re from all the moments I don’t spend with my children. #kidskeepyouyoung

Everyone should enjoy shopping with their offspring as much as I do. We mothers simply must take advantage of each and every opportunity to spend time with our children, no matter how many nerves we destroy or how much sanity we lose in the process. It’s all about counting those blessings, right?! Our children are blessings, shopping is a blessing, and every single second we spend shopping with our children is a blessing, too. #soblessed