Near the card section, there is an endcap with Star Wars school supplies. Dad and son walk past.
Dad stops and says to son, "Do you want a Star Wars binder?"
Son; "Naw."
Dad; "Are you sure? Last chance."
Son; "Yeah. I'm sure."
(pause)
Dad; "Should I get myself a Star Wars binder?"
Son; "Totally."
And I didn't even pipe up that Target has in-binder folders and separators, so he could buy it and start keeping household records in it. See, it would be a perfectly legitimate purchase.
I made a kid cry. See, someone who is a foster parent (via the Lesbian Duplex) mentioned that you have to turn things around to a kid's POV. The example she used was urging a kid to hold mom's hand crossing the street so mom won't get lost.
I've been using a version of this at Kohl's. When I see a kid start to wander off, I tell them that parents get lost when you wander too far. They usually turn around and go back.
This one tyke had gone a bit farther than usual, but I remember the parent she came in with. (Mom was white, but the kids were mixed-race. That's why I remembered. :P )
Anyway, when I told her "You shouldn't wander away from mom. Moms get lost when you wander too far. Did you know that?" She had to stop and think over what I said.
I swear you could see the wheels in her brain turning. Then she figured it out and started the sad eyes and turned down lip, "Mama!" Sniffle. "MAMA!"
So I pointed out mama to her and she ran back and cried at mama a bit. Really didn't mean to make her cry. LOL.
Another time, I told this to a pretty young tot. She was maybe two. While I tell her this, I'm looking around to see if I see any frantic adults. But after a few minutes of me talking to her, her older brother(?) comes out of the lingerie section and freezes on seeing me. I ask, "Is she with you?" He nods, grabs sister by one hand, and hurries off with a backward look to make sure I haven't turned into Baba Yaga and started chasing them.
So good to see I can still scare the crap outta' kids.
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