Shopping…A simple word, yet it puts fear in the hearts
of many.
The evil, dreaded grocery shopping.
The men who have to endure clothes shopping.
The kids who get bored and say “Are we done yet?”
The Mom who leaves the store crying because her toddler is throwing a tantrum and she just doesn't have the energy to cope.
Most of us have experienced at least one of these
scenarios in our lifetime. We have come to know shopping as a chore...something
not fun...a task that needs to be completed quickly, and preferably ALONE.
Sadly this is a common thing for many parents today
(myself included). We do our shopping before we pick up the kiddos from
daycare, or if we take them with us, we go through each aisle absolutely frustrated
with the endless questions:
“Mommy, can I have this?”
“Can you buy me that?”
“I want this!”
“PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE?????”
I think we are getting frustrated because we aren't looking with the right perspective. Our children need to learn from us, especially when it comes to shopping.
Does your five-year-old know how to tell when a banana is ripe?
What about your ten-year-old? Does he or she know how to tell how much sodium is in an item, and what sodium even is?
Which is healthier, whole milk or skim?
These are things that our children need to know, because someday they will have households of their own. Wouldn't you like to rest easy, knowing that your children have a good knowledge of healthy shopping?
If your kids are older, you can give them their own list of items to pick up. They can grab all the canned goods while you shop for the dairy and produce. Of course, they will have questions. They may pick up the wrong item. They may try to sneak a candy bar into the cart. Try not to get frustrated. Use this as a quality teaching moment with your child(ren).
Does your five-year-old know how to tell when a banana is ripe?
What about your ten-year-old? Does he or she know how to tell how much sodium is in an item, and what sodium even is?
Which is healthier, whole milk or skim?
These are things that our children need to know, because someday they will have households of their own. Wouldn't you like to rest easy, knowing that your children have a good knowledge of healthy shopping?
If your kids are older, you can give them their own list of items to pick up. They can grab all the canned goods while you shop for the dairy and produce. Of course, they will have questions. They may pick up the wrong item. They may try to sneak a candy bar into the cart. Try not to get frustrated. Use this as a quality teaching moment with your child(ren).
If your kids are younger (still sitting in the shopping
cart), you can ask them to help you decide which type of an item to get. Do you
need three fruits for the week? Ask your two-year-old which fruit they would
like, and then show it to them as you put it in the cart.
Be sure to let them
know that you value their opinion.
No longer do shopping trips need to be stressful.
No longer do we need to leave our children out of an
essential part of life.
No longer do our children have to feel like burdens.
Now we and our children can have quality time together,
learning together, and valuing each other, WHILE in the store.
This
week:
Take your kids (all of them) to the store with you. Allow them to be part of the shopping process while letting them know their opinion matters to you. Come back to this post at the end of the week and leave a comment on how your trip went. Have a great week!
Blessed by Him,
Adrienne
No comments:
Post a Comment