Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for January 27, 2013

I solved this problem a long time ago; I never had kids. I can go shopping at 2a., when there’s no one around but the shelf-stockers. (i.e. no screaming, over-tired kids around—just adults)

Now I know what takes her so long when she goes shopping alone. We’re back in an hour when we go together.

I don’t blame her. Hope she stops somewhere for coffee on the way home.

So true! I used to go shopping at my lunch hour (I worked when mine were babies), and I got a lot more done without them. The store near me has a cookie club for kids, which is a nice service because it makes the kids happy to go grocery shopping.Having said that, I also never tolerated bad behavior anywhere in public (and I never resorted to hitting). Like jeanie, we just walked out and they got in trouble at home. @cofyjunky – Just because the comics and TV make kids out to be a nightmare doesn’t meant they’re like that all the time. One reason I was glad I had kids was so that I had real life experience when I saw other kids acting up…. I couldn’t just complain about how terrible kids are – I actually knew what it took to raise them right and what parents go through. The benefits of kids FAR outweigh the difficulties.

I used to take turns with my kids as to who could go shopping with me. Soon my son didn’t want to go at all because it was so boring.

For me reading this strip. I do not think I went shopping by myself. When our son was little and would not behave. I solved the problem I grabed his hand and we both went to the car. Later he said he be good. He was being bad and noisy in store. Just as a resturant once children finish eating and parent keep want to pig out he would get restless. I gave up on my eating and my husband did not. I would take our son to the car to keep him calm, my husband never volunteered to do this. I told him when he did come out glad he got to eat for I did not.And one time in a store a mom and her little girl was shopping the little girl cried all over the place mom did not know what to do as she tried to calm her girl down. Just so happened when we were checking out she came behind us to check out her little girl still crying. I just turned around startled the little girl and calmly talked with the child bending down to child’s level the little stopped crying the cashier went through the transaction and mom was totally stunned and happy. All was calm. The mom wanted to take me home with her.

In some ways I cannot blame Joan for taking her time in shopping and relaxing delaying going home. For me I could think of better ways to take my time and relax and enjoy myself.

So much for the bright lights of Pari. (secretly I can’t blame her.)

@husky51I’m from the Netherlands and we’re not allowed to hit our kids at all… A pastor in our country got almost jailed and his children were interrogated by child protecion because he had dared to tell from the pulpit that he used to give his children a correcting smack sometimes…really insane.

About grocery tales – this is off the point, but I can’t resist. When my first grandchild was around a month old, his dad, J., had to go to Winn-Dixie one night to get a package of diapers. The boy was a very light sleeper (had been born a month early anyhow) and we took turns letting him sleep on top of us and hoping we didn’t fall asleep ourselves. Anyhow, J. worked and hadn’t had much sleep for awhile, and looked like heck warmed over. A lovey-dovey couple bhind J. in the checkout line watched him. plop the diapers down on the counter. Then the man took the six pack he was carrying back to the liquor department, and they left.

@husky: this is why, now that my kids are well past that stage, I make a point of letting every little kid know they’re cute, or say they are to the parents when their kid is screaming—it makes a world of difference when someone says something positive in support of other parents.

I know one woman who got down on the floor of the store and kicked her arms and legs and howled like her screaming toddler till her little kid stared at her, like, What do you think you’re DOING, Mom! And that was the end of that tantrum.

heh my mom never had time to do this. we stopped going to the grocery store at all when I was in middle school. that’s when my mom discovered online grocery shopping with delivery. makes shopping for six much easier!!

My husband sometimes worked 2nd shift and I had a neighbor who would watch my kids while I went to the grocery store alone. It was nice. I didn’t abuse the privilege and most of the time I did take them, but sometimes just quicker to go alone. We lived there for three years. My kids were probably 4-5 and 2-3, at the time.