Welcome to Wal Mart

There are those firsts in a child's life that are so precious. The first smile, first tooth, first steps, first birthday--and the list goes on and on.

For my five-year-old, this has been a year of firsts, some good, and some not so good: reading her first word, pouring her first glass of milk by herself, riding her first bicycle without training wheels, swimming for the first time without the assistance of any cute pink flotation devices, repeating an inappropriate line she heard in a movie without knowing what it meant for the first time. We now have a new skill to add to her rapidly growing repertoire.

I seriously thought about titling this blog CERTIFIABLY CRAZY CHAPTER THREE, because my entire family decided to go to Wal Mart at 8:47 this evening. And all of the children had their own money to spend. Keep in mind, the caffeine from my morning coffee wore off about 5 hours ago.

My five-year-old spent what seemed like hours searching the toy section for the perfect piece of "treasure" to purchase with her dollar clutched tightly in her fist. Finally she settles on a tiny can of Play-Doh with a small cookie cutter attachment. A lifetime later, everyone has decided on their purchases, and we head to the checkouts. All of the lines with actual people to check out your stuff are about 10 people deep, so Hubby and I decide to go through the self checkout.

My five-year-old child--the baby--the one who still has to sit in a car seat--walks right up to that machine and scans her item, bags it, hits "finish and pay," and tries to insert her crumpled and sweaty dollar into the dollar bill slot on the machine.

I am astounded! This is the kid who is "too little" to pick up the Polly Pocket mess in her room all by herself. It took me the better part of two years before I figured out how the silly "self checkout" system worked.

Daddy had to help her get the cash into the slot. The dollar was so wrinkled and sweaty, that I finally had to trade her one of my crisp ones for hers.

Hers is in my wallet, and I may never spend it. There is a lot of fierce independence wrapped up in that little bill. Look out, world! Another shopper has been born!