FIVE KIDS IN THE GROCERY STORE

When my children were all at home I loved the summertime. Life was more relaxed. We could stay up and watch a movie and sleep in if we wanted to. I loved having my kids home with me, finding interesting things to do and spending time outdoors--playing in the water, going on little hikes, watching the sunset at dusk. There was just one thing I didn’t like—grocery shopping with five kids.

Normally during the school time Wednesday was my day to get out. Kids were in school and I only had my toddler. I loved slowly going through the store. I was organized, had my list, but not in any hurry. I might run into a friend and visit a bit. I could think about new recipes and extra food storage items. On some days, I found a clever treat just for me to enjoy. It might be an Asian pear, fresh peach or a candy bar--my treat for when I got home and had put all those groceries away.

But summertime brought havoc at the grocery store. Have you ever shopped with five kids in tow—at least two who make it very clear, they do not want to be there, and the others stopping at every end cap begging for that candy, cookie or donut.

I tried going on Saturdays but it was obvious that that was the plan for nearly every other mother in our town, too. Crowded, noisy and none of my favorite cashiers on duty. My husband suggested evenings. He would be home with the children. I was too tired to enjoy the trip and felt rushed and unorganized. It was anything but enjoyable.

Then one evening I was brainstorming, feeling sorry for myself, and it occurred to me that if I handled this thing with the right attitude, my problem might be just the solution to itself. I had four able-bodied helpers I was overlooking. True, they were only ages nine, eight, seven and five—but suddenly the inspirational juices started flowing.

It was a Tuesday night. I thought just maybe if my children were personally involved in the shopping process, would they forgo the complaints and begging? They were perfectly capable of finding many familiar items in the store. Instead of my usual shopping list, I made three lists. I grouped the kids. The boys, ages nine and seven, would have one list, the girls ages eight and five would have another and I would have the toddler with me conquering the master list. I took all the things that required decision making or that they were not familiar with. The boys could pick out three gallons of milk. The girls knew what a nice firm head of lettuce looked like (it was iceberg lettuce only back in those days). They were each capable of picking out cold cereal or following my directions to the right can of soup.

In the end, I found that they each had about 12 items to my 30. Time-wise, that seemed to work out quite well. I knew the store well, I would be quicker. They might have to circle around a few times locating their items.

Wednesday morning was energetic at our house. Breakfast was cleaned up in no time and we were all ready for our new adventure. Upon entering the store, each group grabbed a cart. The toddler stayed with me. It was kind of fun passing the kids now and then. The girls were creative. “Good morning, Mrs. Stewart, what a cute baby you have”, they would say. “Oh thank you,” I answered, “but you should see her beautiful sisters!” They would move on with delight. Sometimes the boys would seek me out just to clarify an item on their list.

When we had finished, we met in the corner and consolidated our three carts into two carts. That’s when I suggested we find something special for our treat. We headed to the check out and it was more successful than I had ever imagined. The added bonus was all those helping hands putting away the groceries.

We got very good at it. It was something we looked forward to each week. I don’t remember any whining or begging. And our children began price comparison and actually looking for coupons.

I hadn’t really thought about what anyone else observed on our shopping trips. But one day we were in line and a man ahead of us was just sweating. I overheard him say to the cashier, “I’m 32 years old and this is the first time I’ve ever been in a grocery store. My mother said if I don’t start doing my share, she will kick me out. I’m really nervous about what I bought today. I don’t know if she will be happy with it.”.

The clerk pointed to my oldest son and said, “Well, you should ask that boy right there. He’s here every week and he knows his way around the store.” The man looked at my son and said, “Do you think this is a good coffee to buy?”

That’s when I heard my son say, “Well, I don’t know anything about coffee, but I’ve got a coupon for that dog food if you want to use it.” and handed over the coupon to the man.

What had started out as a way to keep the kids from begging and being bored, had become a life-lesson and a fun shared summer experience. As school started back, my son said he was supposed to write a report on what they had done over the summertime. Teasing me a little, he said, “I was going to write about our trip to Yellowstone, but everyone does that. I’m thinking about reporting on my adventures to the supermarket…what do you think, Mom?”

Our summer grocery trips continued for many years.