On Saturday when the overly-friendly (or just plain normal) guy annoyed me at the lottery machine, I had no inkling that he was not to be my only source of annoyance.
I moved on to the bananas. While I was picking out eight green-enough ones all on one bunch, a man and little girl wheeled past me. I noticed, because that little girl was loud. The kind of loud that makes it hard to keep a neutral look on your face. She was probably 3-4 years old. I assume the guy was her dad. I'm guessing late 20s for him.
Mini was whiny. She wanted things. Not necessarily items from the shelves. She wanted to walk around, independent of Daddy and the cart. He wanted her holding onto the side of the cart. I'm pretty sure he didn't plop her in the child seat because she wouldn't have it. Did I mention she was loud? And whiny.
As always happens when someone annoys me in a store, they were on the same path as I was. Up and down every aisle I needed. She'd range away, and he'd tell her to come back. He was calm and patient. And totally ineffective. I got weekend-dad vibes. It WAS the third weekend of the month. I know a thing or two about parental visitation. I don't think a full-time dad would have put up with Mini's shenanigans so calmly. And no mom is going to send Dad and an elderly toddler off to the store on a Saturday.
Mini probably was trying her dad, testing her limits. I'm not sure she ever REACHED a limit. I would have knelt down (on younger knees) and looked that little girl in the eye. "You need to do what I say, and stop screaming, or we will leave. Right now." I did it before with Genius. And left the store, cart in the middle of the aisle. It only took ONE TIME.
Anyhoo... I was really glad to get out of there and give my ears a rest. I'm pretty sure that Dad was exhausted by the time the weekend was over.
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