can we go to the zoo today?

J called from school today, frantic. Mascot try-outs begin and she HAS. TO. HAVE. a new, crisp, with nothing written on it, not lame but cool, white t-shirt. And she forgot her good luck silver tennis shoes.
Being the good mom that I am I tell her not to worry I'll bring some. Will I recognize a "cool" shirt if I see one she queries? (Probably not, but she'll have to take her chances.) So I wake the baby, wrestle the boy who really wanted to watch Star Wars and not go to Wal-mart into his shoes and off we go.
Now, here's where the good mom story turns into a bad mom story. We're shopping, kids in cart, trying to hurry through the store before a $6 tee-shirt becomes a $60 trip and E starts crying that he wants a new Star Wars guy. We hurry, he cries louder. We stand in the check out lane and he produces big crocodile tears and is crying so loudly that I can't even hear the oh so annoying commercials that they now play in each aisle. Then it happens. Two little old grandma types in the line in front of me start talking to each other, loudly. Loud enough for me to hear them even though I am trying to tune out everything. "Do you see that poor little boy?" one asked the other. "He's crying and his mother isn't doing anything." replies the other. Then they turn to him and say "why are you crying sweetheart?" "I wa wa wann nt a Sttt arr Warss guy!' be manages to moan out. He has their full sympathy and he knows it. "Well," they comfort him, "I am sure if you just stop crying and smile your mom will get you something even better!" He looks at me. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

We paid and left. Dropped off the emergency try-out gear and drove home. He cried the whole way, well to be fair he did stop crying often enough to tell me that I am mean and that he doens't like me.

When we pulled into the driveway he said "can we go to the zoo today? That would be better than a Star Wars guy."

I love being a mom!