dear parents,
i saw you in the check out line with 4 small children. your oldest looked just a year or two older than our oldest. and your youngest was just about a year older than our youngest. i noticed that your children were all so quiet. two of which were sitting so contentedly in the buggies. they were well dressed. hair combed. not covered in barbeque sauce like 2 of mine. there was a definite lack of bickering, both amongst your children and with you. one of the biggest things i noticed was that they were quiet. they were quiet. they were still. and they didn’t look as though you had beaten or threatened them into submission. i wanted to ask you, the mama, if you were a homeschooler because you live so close to me and i would love to have a real-life friend to hang out with. but i was so distracted by my brood that i didn’t get to step over to talk with you. i mentioned to my husband that i wanted to talk to you and he said, “yeah, i want to talk to them too.” looking at how well-behaved your children were.
can i ask you: did i just catch you in a few minutes of peace? had the storm of typical-kid-in-the-store behavior just subsided or was it about to explode when you walked out? or do you know a secret that i don’t? how did you do it? would i see insanity if i were to actually have spent more time with you? were you judging our circus as much as i felt that you were? or did you just have pity on us? or, by chance, were you wanting to meet me as well and be friends? and while we’re being honest, can i ask how much you spent on your goods? can i see how you shop? can i learn from you?
sincerely,
the mom in line beside you that wanted to cry
