Small Acts of (unintentional) Cruelty

We've all experienced this as parents.

It's the bank teller that gives only ONE sucker to you, as a parent, when you have three loud kids yelling out their window that they all want a sucker.

Or when your child is throwing a tantrum in the store and the store employee offers to give them candy. Are you serious? Let's treat every kid that acts up, and see if this improves their behavior.

So today, as I'm checking out at Sam's Club, Gavin spots balloons. Hoards of them at every checker's stand. I point out the colors, tell him that they're just to look at, and we go to get lunch.

I take three steps to the food counter and notice Gavin isn't following. It's OK, I tell myself, because he's an arm's reach away, and he's enthralled by the balloons.

Next thing I know, a woman is handing him a balloon. A green one. I tell her thank you, and sit Gavin down to eat his hot dog. Grace, however, can't stop eyeing his balloon and wants one too.

Of course.

So after 5 minutes of whining, I relent and we both walk over and ask for another balloon, to which they tell us that it just would take up too much helium to fill one more balloon. Really? Wasn't it YOU who started this whole mess?

Grace walks away, dejected, and sits down by Gavin. As I walk away to fill up our drinks, I hear a scream (and so does the rest of Sam's Club). Grace has released Gavin's balloon up to the 50ft. ceiling.

I can hear comments from everyone: Awww, that poor little boy just lost his balloon. Even the stingy balloon woman decides to give Gavin ANOTHER balloon. But the new, yellow balloon doesn't stop the tears. He's freaking out, pointing to the one that got away.

Now, I have to stop and point out that, yes, this balloon woman was trying to be nice. But where did her "niceness" get me? Down a long road of whining, screaming kids. And it could have all gone differently had she chosen to give Grace a balloon or even given me NO BALLOONS AT ALL.

Back to the story. So I finally calm him down, but he is insisting that I hold his balloon. At the top of the ribbon. He's decided that this is the only way it will escape the same fate as the first balloon.

And I do. I'm feeding Gavin his hot dog, eating my own hot dog, drinking a drink, holding Gavin on my lap - all while holding this stupid balloon.

The clincher was that a friend of mine walks up to me and commiserates. It's never a bad enough experience unless someone you know witness it also, right?

So enough with the niceness. Either be willing to shell out for everyone, or keep it to yourself already.