Klepto

This morning as the Hoos, the girls and I got into the car after walking through some shops and a farmer's market, I noticed LP playing with something. "It's broken, mama," she said as she handed me a cheap, plastic Halloween themed bracelet/watch.

"Where did you get this?" I inquired. "Did you take it from that store?"

She just continued to whine that it was broken as I insisted that she and the Hoos return it to the card store we had just left. The Hoos was more intent on fixing it before returning it.

The whole experience brought me back to a day, probably more than 25 years ago, when I liberated something from TSS. TSS was short of a precursor to KMART. Maybe a hybrid of KMART and Kohls? Anyway, there was a red halter shirt with gold trim that was originally part of an outfit worn by a Kate Jackson Charlie's Angel Barbie doll. It was just sitting on the shelf in the toy section. Separated from its owner. It looked so pretty. So perfect for my own Barbie...

As soon as my mom saw it in my hand, it was over. I was marched back into the store, made to hand it to a cashier and apologize. Obviously, this stuck with me.

According to the Hoos, when LP apologized (mostly into his shoulder), the young cashier shrugged and said thanks. I hope that a lesson was learned, because I don't want to be the one marching her back in to the store. I wonder if kids realize that events like that are just as traumatic and humiliating for a parent as for a child...