Moral of the shopping trip

Shopping trips with kids can be frustrating, annoying, hair tearing and down right disastrous, don't you think?

Having not yet had the pleasure of having my own, I'm not really sure how it applies to your own kids but bringing nieces and nephews can seriously be a mini nightmare.

Are kids manipulative or is it just me?


Things were fine and dandy until my youngest niece wanted an ice cream cone. I said we could get one when we get to the other store since we were already leaving. I'm a pretty easy going aunt; I don't remember ever wanting to go out with any of my aunts and uncles without (or even with, come to think about it!) my parents, but these kids readily go out with us, heck we even survived a trip to Cameron Highlands!

She then started to sulk. Not the lying-on-floor-wailing-lungs-out type but the silent and 180 degrees change of mood type of sulking. and the mood persisted even when Abg tried to coax her out of her sulk with a slurpee or the already promised ice cream. I was adamant that I wouldn't be manipulated by her. She can sulk all she wants for all I care.

But I felt ....unsettled, I guess. She made me feel like I'm the big bad witch who never buys anything, who says NO everytime. I was worried that she would tell on me and that her parents would think that I'm the type who would 'berkira' even when it comes to a RM1 ice cream cone. I tried to make myself feel better by telling myself that she's probably only like this when she's with us. Maybe it's our fault for spoiling her in the past and now she thinks that we will satisfy all her whims and fancy, regardless.

The incident made me think, though. About the type of parent I will be. Will I be the 'garang' one and will Abg be the relenting one? Will my kid end up hating me for the price of a RM1 ice cream cone or will I have raised her well enough for her to realise that her parents love her way beyond ice creams and branded toys and that knowledge and good manners are the more important things in life?