The tiny army we've created is rebelling...or are they?
Our day started with an argument about whether our son, 7, should brush his teeth first or have breakfast first. Seeing as how we were in quite a rush to get out of the house, we asked him to brush his teeth first and take breakfast in the car. It was that moment he chose to remind us that "the dentist said I should always brush my teeth after breakfast, not before!" And suddenly he was concerned with what the dentist would say, not what we were asking him to do. Cue the first round of tears for the day (his, ours came later...). It continued with a conversation with our tweenage daughter about why her outfit probably wasn't the best choice, as a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants in 100 weather isn't ideal. Cue the eye rolling and loudly closed bedroom door.
After church was done, we stopped at home for what was supposed to be a total of 3 minutes, planning to turn around and head back out and do some clothes shopping. Since we will need to do back-to-school shopping in September, the kids both graciously decided outgrow ALL of their clothes the first week in July, five days before leaving for a two week vacation. Taking the kids out shopping has always been a point of contention, regardless of the fact that we are shopping for them!! We let the dogs out and when they were done we told the kids it was time to go. Instantly the second round of tears from our son began. "I just started playing a game and I've only had a short time to play! Can we stay home instead? Do we really need to go? What are we even shopping for? I never even really liked the khaki pants anyway (which he dumped chocolate ice cream on last weekend and ruined). Why do I need new ones?" Sigh. And with that, we were off, protesters and all.
During the car ride there was "too much wind in the car", a problem we could not solve due to the fact that we were driving a topless Jeep, but something they felt was worth complaining about anyway. No one could hear the music (but they could hear each other well enough to bicker about anything and everything). "Are we there yet" started about 7 minutes in to our 30 minute drive. Then the smoothies we got for them were different sizes (unintentionally) and "that's so unfair!!"
When we got to the store the phrase "please get up off the floor" was uttered more times than we cared to count as we made our way through the aisles. We got in line to pay, feeling like we may be ready to wave the white flag, but then it happened...
For our everyday purchases we exclusively use cash. For larger purchases (clothing for growing children, for example) we have a separate bank account that we have a debit card for. Our purchase was rung up and the cashier asked "Would you like to sign up for a store credit card and save 20% on today's purchase?" My husband and I simultaneously answered with a resounding "no thank you" and smiled at each other. As I took out my debit card to pay, our son stopped me and yelled "WAIT!! YOU'RE NOT USING A CREDIT CARD, ARE YOU?!?!" I said "No, this is not a credit card. It is a debit card. We don't even have any credit cards. Do you know the difference between a credit card and a debit card?" Our daughter piped in excitedly and explained to him that "if you're using a debit card, you're using your own money to pay for things". "I know" he said. She continued "but if you use a credit card, you're using money you don't have to pay for things". "I know" he said. She then continued to tell him all about why it's bad to borrow money to pay for things. "I already know that" he said. She concluded the lesson with an emphatic "...and so you NEVER want to use credit cards or borrow money." Could either of us have been any more proud at that moment?! (Cue the parent's turn to cry)
I'm not sure if the clerk caught their conversation or not, but we sure did. And as it turns out, the kids catch our conversations too, even if sometimes we think they don't. More is caught than is taught.