'Didn't your mama teach you not to stare?'

What's up with the people at the grocery store that just stare at you when your child is having a tantrum? Why do they stare? And stare even harder when you just ignore it?? Especially with those mommies with one child who sits perfectly in their cloth covered shopping cart???

Take yesterday... we scored one of those carts with the pretend cars in the front that Ava calls "hers" and insist that people are borrowing them when we can't find one for ourselves.

Well, both girls go in and start to pretend driving. Then there goes the pushing, Emma's feet on the chair which is pinching Ava's leg, the screaming and then the crying and then the hair pulling.

If I was another parent and my kids were grown, I would give that mother (me) and reassuring smile or nod. But no. People just stare.

And maybe I'm doing things wrong. Maybe I shouldn't ignore them after the 50th time Emma has pinched Ava's arm. But I do, because in life, you have to learn to sort minor problems out like that.

Or just go and get them a cookie from the bakery that will save you 5 minutes of scream-free noise.