Strike While the Iron's Hot!

Trained quicker than Pavlov’s dogs, my kids can quickly smell blood in the water and they don’t circle, they go directly in for the kill.  Kill our wallets that is!  We could take them into Dick’s Sporting Goods, buy a bottle of BB’s and get out without a single whine.  They they realized that each and every store we walk into has STUFF for THEM, so they went from wanting to sit in the car and play video games to ALWAYS coming in with us!

Why?  Because Daddy has his wallet open, and when it’s open there’s a really good chance they can pull a few dollars out of it.  Case in point at the ski resort this weekend, my wonderful husband was getting his skis tuned so he went over to a shop to try out some demo skiis.  Both boys were with me getting ready when one asked, 

“Where’s Daddy?”

“He went over to Roots Ride Shop to get some demo skis,” I replied and as I turned around they were GONE!  Gone and leaving me to put out all the snow gear, open our locker and get out more equipment.  Halfway through the process all three come in with a smile on their face.

“What did you do,” I ask looking at my husband.

“You won’t believe the deal I got on these skis,” he says with a smile.

Then I notice that one child has a brand new facemask while the other is sporting some very cool gloves, “Oh, and those?”

He shrugs, “they gave us a discount.”

Now I’m trying to learn from them, if Daddy is in a store that means the wallet is opening, if the wallet is opening it’s a free for all on who gets first in line to get something new.  Just to drive the point home, after a day on the snow, he takes the skis back and buys them!  Why wasn’t I there to look at new snowboards?  

It doesn’t matter where we are:  Lowes Home Improvement - they want a soda.

Grocery Store - they each want their own bag of chips.

Gap - “who threw these pants into the buggy?”

Victoria’s Secret - the only place they said they’d wait outside the door - ALL THREE OF THEM.

So Daddy is going to have to learn to either shop by himself to save money or tell them NO when they start the minute the bell on the door tinkles.  And I’m going to pay better attention, if I see the three of them walking into a store, I’d better get over there first-my board is an antique and I’ve had the same pair of gloves for over 5 years!  Time to ride the gravy train!  Do your kids work you over in every store too?