Hopping over snakes in Spar

So yesterday I was in Spar, you know when you go the shops and you know you need to buy something for supper but you have no idea what, and you are kind of in a hurry for no reason, but you know you just don't feel like being in the shops with two kids for a long period of time - well it was one of those days for me. Zion had fallen asleep in the car and I managed to move into the carrier and he stayed asleep, (Victoryyyy dance) so I thought to myself this should be an easy trip - grab something to cook and we will be out of there. I am sure if you are a mom of a toddler, you are laughing at me by now. Oh sweet, innocent Sam is a trip to the grocery shop with a 3 year old ever quick?

Now if you know my Ezzy very well, you will know that he is very methodical and that he thinks outside of the box. If he sees a bar one in the lunch bar box, he HAS to move it back to where it is meant to be, if he sees a red trolley with the metal trolleys we must move it and while we at it, we must make sure they are all in a straight row. What might look to you and me as just a floor, Ezra sees it as a snake infested river and he has to hope every two seconds so that he doesn't get eaten. Like I said if you know Ezzy well you will know this is how he is wired, this is how his brain works and its beautiful and awesome and something to be celebrated but if you don't know my child, you might just see it as him pushing boundaries and getting being "naughty" because he is hopping in the shop instead of walking.

Back to my trip to Spar, while we were there I got a number of looks from different people because my child was hopping and singing and every now and then rearranging (in the correct place I might add) a few items, I even saw a few people shake their heads. And you know what cool, calm and collected Sam started feeling anxious and I started letting these peoples looks and sighs get to me and started telling Ez to walk faster, stop hopping and please just sing a bit softer. When I was about to listen to him tell me how the snacks were going to bite his feet if he just walked for the third time, I stopped and looked at myself... What was I doing? Why did it matter that some lady who doesn't know anything about me and my child was shaking her head at me? He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was just turning a boring shopping trip into an exciting adventure... and in that moment I decided to hop with him and you know what it was so fun, our trip went by much faster, there was no moaning, just excited giggling. Yes, I had more stares and head shakes, but I would much rather get looked at funny because my child and I are happy and laughing together, then because my child is having a meltdown and is moaning.

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand that there are situations when Ezzy won't be able to do the things he wants to and I have learnt to talk him through this times and explain to him why, but seriously in Spar on a quiet day, hopping is not going to harm anyone. I feel like as a society and as parents, there are so many rules and people to please, and I have learnt that we really aren't ever going to please everyone, there is literally always going to be someone that disagrees with the way you do things - so decide what you believe and stick to it.

I know all too well how fast time goes and in just a few short years I am going to wish Ezzy would let me hop away from snakes with him in the middle of Spar, so I am going to soak up every minute that I can. Life is so busy and we want to rush from meeting to meeting, and we often forget to actually LIVE and enjoy life. And my Ez sure knows how to live life to the full.