“An Easter wish list? What is this, Christmas?”
I sheepishly admit that was my initial response upon hearing a mother desperately trying to cajole her screaming child out of the Easter section at our local Wal-Mart the other day.
The toddler was fixated on a box of dinosaur Easter eggs and demanded that his mother purchase them NOW!
She in turn did what any fatigued parent on autopilot would have done in the same situation: Distract.
Unfortunately, her tot wanted nothing to do with her dangling keys, the promise of a lollipop in the check out line, or her shiny cellphone.
The kid wanted those eggs and he didn’t plan to leave the store without them.
How do I know this? Because I was staring. I tried not to. I really did. I did everything I could to focus my attention on the bag of purple Easter grass I was holding in my hand, but I simply couldn’t help myself. I was riveted by the determined toddler versus frustrated mom standoff, which was taking place a few feet away from my shopping cart.
It was like watching the end of a football game. The two-minute warning had expired and the end zone was in sight. Would the aggravated mother punt or pass? Inquiring moms want to know.
“Let’s go NOW!”
You could tell by the tone of her voice that the boy’s mom had just about had it.
It was go time.
Either she was going to wrestle her indignant child into the cart and potentially roll out of Wal-Mart accompanied by his high-pitched wails or… Or, she would suggest this:
“Let’s put those dinosaur eggs on your list for the Easter bunny.”
A list for the Easter bunny?
Hmmm… I didn’t see that coming.
Seriously… a list for the Easter Bunny?
And just as I was running through the litany of reasons why the tactic would never work with my own preschooler…
EUREKA!
The boy’s waterworks suddenly stopped. It wasn’t exactly instantaneous, but after his mother dug out a pen and piece of scrap paper from her purse, and actually started writing, he jumped on the bandwagon and into the cart. The two then proceeded down the aisle, taking note of every toy, egg and sweet treat the kid wanted to see in his basket come Easter morning.
Who knows if the Easter bunny will deliver, but I would say his mother sure did.
She sent me a first-class lesson in humility, and made me realize that no two parenting styles are alike. What works for some may not be as successful for others, but who are we to judge someone else’s decisions.
So, I left Wal-Mart that day with something you can’t put a price tag on: Don’t be judgmental, treat others as you would want to be treated, and when it comes time to pass, dig deep and go long. You may just score big!
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