My little runaway

Eldest got me really pissed today, at Wild Oats of all places (of course, it was a totally natural anger, with no hydrogenated oils). Every other Wednesday is my big shopping day, and aside from Wal-Mart and Costco, today I hit Wild Oats with both boys. There is a little play area which we went to first, when Eldest says he needs to go pee-pee. I say fine, and try putting Littlest into the cart, then notice the straps to keep him in there are broken. We walk back to get a new cart, I'm trying to get Littlest in, when, for whatever reason I'm not sure, Eldest takes off through produce.

I'm not sure where he was intending to go -- I don't think it was the play area again. I saw him running but couldn't keep up, with the cart and other shoppers in the way, but I tried a different aisle to cut him off ... except he never emerged where I thought he was going to. Now I'm starting to get a little nervous. After about a minute, we found each other, he was wondering where I was (maybe why I didn't keep up) as well.

I picked him up to explain why I was mad. I picked him up with such angry vigor that I think I bumped his head into my noise. After a few seconds of lecturing, I feel a trickle of blood drip down my nostril. Yes, I was so mad at my son that I gave myself a bloody nose. I'm now working my way through produce toward the deli area so I can get some napkins to stop the blood flow, still angrily lecturing Eldest and trying not to bleed on the organic vegetables.

Took Eldest to the bathroom finally, where he decided he didn't have to go. Either I scared him into not peeing or he never had to go in the first place (which I don't mind happening -- it might just be him asserting his independence that's come with semi-toilet training). We resumed shopping, but I was still so worked up that I was forgetting what I was buying. I gave him one final lecture out the door which I think he took to heart, because we went to Barnes & Noble after to play with the Thomas the Tank Engine trains in the kids department, and he was almost perfect, listening to everything I asked him to do, sharing with other kids, and not whining when we left.

I understand it's normal for kids to sometimes do these maddening things for no reason at all. I believe it's normal too for dads to then get occasionally over-pissed when that happens, too. Hopefully, next time won't involve temporarily losing a child or causing myself to bleed.

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