So, the boy? He may be, just the slightest bit, spoiled. I had no idea.
No really!
And here's the most shocking part. It's my fault. Entirely.
Who knew?
Over the weekend, we all three went to the grocery store. This is a rarity. John hates grocery shopping, but sometimes I like to drag him along, if only to have a big strong man take my groceries to the car for me. For the first two aisles it went well. Then we walked past a display of Hot Wheels cars and our shopping experience went straight to hell. Alex went batshit crazy screaming and crying in the cart begging for a car. I immediately walked over to the display to get one for him when John stopped me.
"He doesn't need another car" John said.
I just looked at John. "But he wants one."
"That doesn't mean he should get another one."
"But it's only a dollar. Look at him! He wants a car. It will make him happy"
Meanwhile Alex is practically working himself into a grand mal seizure and his face is turning purple
"Honey, he shouldn't get everything he wants just because he wants it"
"Why not?" I ask, absolutely seriously. John gives me a look.
Everyone in the dairy section of the grocery store is staring at Alex who is kicking his legs and waving his arms. John takes the cart and continues shopping. I stop at a display of Easter candy.
"Can we buy him one of these? He'd love one with the egg on it"
"No"
"Oh come on! Why are you being so mean?"
Alex continues screaming
"He's not getting anything. He's acting like a shit"
"He just wants a car!" I whine to John
"CAR! I WANNA CAR!" Alex shrieks
"Oh God, I think I'm going to faint, I can't stand this screaming. Can't we just buy him a toy? How about this water whistle?"
"Honey, that's why he acts like this because you always give him what he wants"
"But I want him to be happy!"
It didn't get any better. Alex threw a complete fit the entire shopping trip. I kept trying to give him things. John kept telling me I couldn't. When we were almost done shopping I sent John off to find some ziplock baggies, but before he left, he gave me a stern lecture about how I'd better not be thinking of sneaking Alex a toy while he was gone. I was totally thinking that.
I can't explain what happens to me when Alex cries. It's like a Pavlovian response to immediately give Alex whatever it is he's asking for. This explains why he has so damn many cars at home. I actually feel pain when Alex is upset. Like, actual, physical pain if I try to keep myself from giving in to him. My mind goes all foggy. At one point, as we were walking down the aisles, I kept bumping into displays, I couldn't even walk straight with Alex wailing like that and me not doing anything to make it better. John doesn't have that reaction at all. At one point I asked him "How can you stand this? Don't you want to just pick him up and give him whatever he wants to make him happy?" "No" he responded. "It makes me want to slap him" (he wouldn't really slap him, don't worry.)
This shopping trip was definitely an eye opener for me. It is absolutely pathetic to realize that I'm spoiling my son completely rotten, to the point where he will scream and cry for 45 minutes straight in a grocery store over a Hot Wheels car. It occurred to me that I've never once come home from a shopping trip without something special for Alex. Be it a toy, a new sippy cup he wanted, gum, a piece of candy... it's always something. I literally had no idea.
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