Be slow my anger

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:19-21 ESV Slow to anger. Slow. S-l-o-w. Slow to anger. Are you getting angry reading the word slow over and over? I probably would be. Well, maybe not angry, but irritated. I am not slow to anger. I am never slow to anger. And this is a big problem for me. This weekend, I was in a store looking at some clothes with the girls. We were supposed to be at the mall to buy shoes, but we had just spent 20 or so minutes in the dressing room trying on things that were not shoes. We tried on dresses and shirts and faux fur vests. So, we finally picked something out and went to the line to pay. We were second in line. It was one line with 2 cashiers. So one of them just walks away and while I was coaxing my little one away from the shiny dangly accessories, everyone on my line moves over. Well, everyone except me and the lady in front of me. So, I wait a few minutes and then I ask the cashier if the other one is coming back. "I don't know," she says. Well, can you call him back? "I'm ringing people," she says. Yes, those of you who know me well realize that this is just the type of obnoxious attitude that is all it takes to flip my switch. Can you call a manager or someone else? "He is the manager," world's worst cashier replies. Really? If my kids weren't there, I would have taken that dress, dropped it on the counter and walked out. But, I didn't. I waited quietly....quietly stewing and thinking about how that girl might just deserve it if the cash drawer closed on her fingers. So, world's worst manager/cashier comes back. Doesn't apologize. And when I mention to him that he just walked away without saying anything and left people on line, he still didn't apologize. Oh, you don't know how bad I wanted to tear into him. I really think it put me in a bad mood for the rest of the night. But, why? I don't want to be the kind of person who gets mad at stupid little things. Granted, I'm not an easy breezy kind of lady. But I know that I have to not let little things bother me. Sure, I had a reason to be mad, but I don't have the right to be mad. and I need to change that, not just for me, but because my kids see that. My kids see me get aggravated at the world's worst cashier and then they think it's okay to feel that way. They think it's okay to call someone an idiot for cutting me off in traffic or consider someone a dummy for doing something inconsiderate like smoking at a playground or tossing trash on the ground. So, I'm going to work on my anger. Oh, and PS - I have to bring the stupid dress back because the sleeves are itchy! And if you happen to see me throttling the manager at H&M when I'm there, help a sister out and stop me!!!!

Shop till you drop?

Yesterday, I was leaving Toys R Us. (Yes, I hate to admit it, but on such a beautiful, crisp autumn day, I took advantage of a few by-myself hours to visit four stores where I needed to return stuff. I hated every minute of it.) Anyway, I'm leaving Toys R Us and see this boy walking in with his dad. He wasn't walking. He was bouncing. He was skipping and hopping and nearly floating. I could just imagine the visions running through his head. I wonder if he had a specific purchase in mind or if he was just going to spend what seemed like hours wandering around the aisles not being able to decide between Star Wars or Spiderman (forgive me, as the mom of two girls, I have no idea what toys strike a boy's fancy). But, a toy store is probably the only place in the world you will see a child looking happy. Fast forward 10 minutes and I see three children heading into Kohl's with both of their parents. (Yes, I went to Kohl's on a Saturday. Yet another return!) Those three kids had no bounce in their steps. There was no gleam in their eyes - just a dull sheen. I could almost picture what they really wanted to be doing - screaming "no" and pulling on their mom's cardigan, pleading with their father to save them from the misery. Now, I realize that they were probably going to buy school clothes. I realize that the week prior to the outing, they were probably complaining that they have "nothing to wear". But, this wonderful fall afternoon was just not the time for shopping! This is probably why I have to return so many things - I rarely take my kids shopping for clothes. Have you ever seen a child being dragged around Macy's? Have you ever seen a child whining about how hot/bored/tired they are in JC Penney? Have you ever seen a mom getting impatient with the child laying on the floor or hiding in the middle of the clothing rack? Why would you want to be that mom? Better yet, why would you expect a child to enjoy walking through a cramped space where they can't see anything except a bunch of material in their face. This may seem silly, but remember what is at their eye level - they can't see anything! Go stand in your closet staring at the shirts for a few minutes and see how much fun you're having!

Who cares?

The girls had friends over yesterday and, this evening, as I walked into a bedroom to put something away, I noticed that there was nowhere to walk. The floor was covered in toys and clothes and bottles of nail polish and just a bunch of junk. And here I am wondering how the heck these girls could have walked in there never mind played in there for an hour. Now, I realize they were the ones who put all the things on the floor but I just couldn't fathom how they didn't run screaming out of there. But, I get it now. They didn't care. They just didn't care that the floor was cluttered, that clothes were spilling out of a drawer, that the closet door wouldn't close because of the dress up stuff falling out. I wonder when it is we learn to be so worried about appearances. When they're young, kids don't care if your house is a mess, if your lawn isn't mowed, if you don't have the nicest car on the block. They just want to hang out together and have fun. I dread the day when my children become aware of class and status and feel judged because they don't have the fanciest sneakers or a stupid $50 Hollister shirt. Sorry, but the day I spend $100 on a pair of uggly boots that will get ruined they second the see snow or mud, is the day pigs fly. And I don't know or care who this hollister person is and certainly won't give him 50 bucks for a shirt that was made in china out of cheap fabric! Oh, I hope these girls stay as uncaring as they are about certain things. Well, I take that back... I wish they would care just a little bit about the toys all over the floor. Maybe if they care a little bit more, their mom wouldn't have to worry about picking them all up!!!