I had a brilliant idea today. Since I was going to pick my boys up from camp, and the community center is right across the street from the mall why not take them over for some frozen yogurt? I was so excited about this that I though hey I’ll even throw in some sprinkles.

Let’s just get this out of the way right now, this was NOT a good idea. I had my baby girl with me (she’s 3) and when we entered the mall it was right where they have those little carts you can rent to take you child around in. At this particular place the carts are shaped like fire trucks and cost $7.00 to rent.

$7! Doesn’t that sound a bit ridiculous to you? I’m willing to pay maybe $5 or even place a $20 deposit but to pay $7 to push my kid around? Nope it isn’t going to happen.  Now, maybe if it was Christmas and the mall was packed and I was going to be there a few hours the $7 may be worth it but on this particular occasion it was going to be straight to the Yogen Fruz and out.

It turns out that my daughter doesn’t quite feel the same way about the $7 than I do and ran straight for the fire truck carts as we walked in.( I wish she still used a stroller but she refused to sit in once since she was two.) I explained very rationally that we were not getting a fire truck today because we were just getting frozen yogurt. The crying started.

Most of you will recognize what happened next but I’ll outline it in 15 steps below:

1. I say” oh sweetie, I know your upset because you want to ride in the Fire truck. Next time we come shopping we’ll get one.
2. Crying gets louder.
3. “Baby girl, come on lets go get frozen yogurt.
4. “I don’t want yogurt! I WANT THE FIRETRUCK!”
5. “let’s go”
6. “NO!” and she sits on the floor
7. “I’m going to count to three and then I’m leaving without you.”
8. “NOOOO!!” Stomping feet.
9. “One…..Twoooooo…..Thhhhhrreeeee?”
10. Louder “NOOOO!!” Stomping feet.
11. I begin to walk away with the boys. My younger one asks ‘We’re not going to leave her are we? The older ones says “you should leave her there.”
12. I get a good distance away and look back, the crying has stopped and she is looking for a way to get into the truck.
13. I wait.
14. I wait.
15. I stomp back over, grab her by the hand and pull her to the Yogen Fruz.

Once we are in front of the frozen yogurt display she looks up at me and simply sates. “I want sprinkles”. That was it. Melt down over just like that.

Who would have thought that the nastiest word of the day starting with F and ending in U.C.K would be Fire truck? AUGHHH!