First, allow me to admit that I was stupid to take three children with me powering shop for Christmas presents. I was suffering from the “I feel guilty for not spending enough time with my children because I worked today,” syndrome. I know that this syndrome plagues many working parents. I had it especially bad when I used to work full time outside the home. There I was at Meijer with two full shopping carts and three children in tow.

The first three hours went pretty well, but then we became thirsty. We bought drinks from the snack shop located within the store and some French fries. I made another mistake after that. I told the children that we were not going to sit down. We needed to continue shopping because it was almost five and I had not started cooking supper. After quenching our initial thirst, we placed our drinks in the cup holders located near the handle of the cart.

That was where Ami was sitting, our 17 month old inquisitive daughter. We were just leaving the snack area when the first cup hit the floor. All 24 ounces spread out on the floor like a small lake. Buck was going to try to clean it up with napkins. That was a lost cause from the beginning so I told an associate that a mop was needed.

We headed off munching on the fries and finally entered a check out lane. That is when the second cup hit the floor. Ty handed Ami the rest of his fries while I was unloading the shopping carts. Within a minute, the fries were on the floor as well. Then the next cup fell. They probably all applauded when we left the store. I was never so happy to finish shopping at a store in my life.

I had looked at Meijer for the gift that I wanted to give my mother, but they didn’t carry it. So, I decided to run into Walgreens while the boys sat with Ami in the van. I picked up a prescription, grabbed the gift for my mother, and headed towards the check out. A sale item caught my eye on one of the shelves. As I turned to look at it, my purse knocked a candle in a quart-size glass jar onto the floor.

The crashing glass brought several associates running. Embarrassed, I hurried over to check out. I offered to pay for the broken candle. They declined the offer, and I hurried home.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007