My favorite grocery store of all time is Trader Joe’s. I am completely in love with that place. I love it that I know most of the workers by name, and they all know my kids and me. I love it that the shop is small, so it doesn’t take long to get in and out. (Unless of course I engage in a conversation with someone, which happens almost every time. But THEORETICALLY it shouldn’t take long.) I love their quality, tasty, healthy food. I love their beautifully, reasonably priced flower bouquets. I love the yummy samples they have every single time. I love the friendly, upbeat vibe. The place is just the best.
One fun thing they do there to entertain kids while shopping is to hide a stuffed squirrel somewhere throughout the store, and any child who spots it receives a small prize. So recently I was there with Grace, who always takes it very seriously to find the little critter, and she seemed extra gung-ho about it that day. So she finds it and excitedly tells the cashier as I’m checking out. Expecting to see her excited about the pink silly band she has just won, I’m surprised to see her looking sad. Why does she look like she’s about to cry?
I ask her what is wrong, and she says, “I thought I was going to win a trip to Disneyland!”
Huh? Disneyland?? At first I’m puzzled, but then it suddenly all makes sense. The last time I had been there with my entourage of 5 kids (my 3 plus 2 I babysit) the kids had found the squirrel and as the man was passing out their prized silly bands, he had jokingly said to them, “Next time the prize is going to be a trip to Disneyland!” I had laughed and never thought about it again. But poor Grace. Poor, poor, sweet Grace. She had believed him.
I explain to Grace that the man had only been joking, and that nobody wins a trip to Disneyland for finding the squirrel. The girl cashier overhears us and wants to know what is going on. I tell her the story, and she says, “What a BUTT! I can’t believe someone would say that to a kid! That is the meanest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”
And the craziest part was that when we picked up the older 3 kids from school that afternoon, Grace angrily announced to them, “You guys! Guess what? Remember when that man at Trader Joe’s told us if we find the squirrel we’d win a trip to Disneyland?” 3 heads nod. “Well…….he was LYING!!!” And 3 mouths open wide and all 3 kids are appalled. Even the 4th grader.
Here was a comment that I hadn’t given a second’s thought, yet all 4 kids had believed it without my knowledge.
This experience reminded me how trusting and vulnerable young children are. Everything is new to them, and they’re learning so much about the world every day. And a lot of this learning comes from what they hear. From us. From other people. From the movies and television shows we allow them to watch. It showed me the importance of filtering what their little minds are absorbing, and being careful to help them differentiate true from false. And it made me wonder, “What bigger, more important things are they hearing and believing without my knowledge?”
The guy also told us that the next mom to find the squirrel wins a day at a spa. I’ve been going to that store every single day to better my chances.
Here are a few pictures from our heart-abulous Valentines Day. I hope yours was fun too!
I always begin my Spanish lessons with a walk around the neighborhood with my students, chatting about life in español, but on Tuesday in honor of Valentines Day, we walked to Starbucks and enjoyed a special little treat. I was so excited about the red hearts on Lucy’s cup!
My friend made the kids and me these adorable little pillows filled with rice and flax seed to put in the freezer or microwave for comfort. Grace’s and mine even have lavender and herbs in them, causing them to smell fabulous! I also loved the sweet vintage valentines she slipped into the pockets!
I absolutely loved the material she picked out for mine! She knows me so well!
Our 2nd annual Valentines Day Heart Shaped Pot Pie. It was just as delectable as last year, and the whole family went nuts over it! Behind me you can see a little bit of the beautiful flowers my charming husband gave me, along with fabulous dark chocolate, both from the previously mentioned Trader Joe’s. The man knows me so well, he even knew which store to get my treats from!
The fun sequiny heart shirt and twirly tutu my grandparents gave Grace to wear on the special day.
She wore it to GEMS, where we played a fun little game that you might have fun playing with your kids. All of the girls sat in a circle and one girl stood in the middle with a blindfold over her eyes. She spun around and pointed to one person, who would ask, “Will you be my valentine?” The girl in the middle had to guess whose voice she was hearing, but it was difficult because the girls were great at disguising their voices, plugging their noses, using different pitches, etc. We all had a great time and laughed a lot! Here’s a picture of my wonderful helper leading the game.
That’s my Valentines Day in a nut shell.
Have a lovely day full of bright colors. And be blessed.
colorfulmama 
Beautiful story. I like what you said about believing what others say without our knowledge, however, we ( some parents, I mean)also tell them things, knowing it and still lying to them, because we forgot what we promised or just because we shouldn’t have said that in first place.
Your kids are lucky to have a mom so alert to their emotions, they will hate that when becoming
teenagers, but later on, will come back to be lucky kids whith a mom that didn’t leave them alone.
Besos desde Amsterdam