Linus Drake
If Only They Were Ugly
Uncle Phil requested a shopping story, so Mommy wants to share a story with you about an outing to Sprouts last week. Here is her version:
We took a family trip to Sprouts last Wednesday, which happens to be double ad day there. Sprouts is a farmer's market type store, with lots of produce and healthy things in it. Because the prices are usually very good there, a lot of the senior population also likes to shop there. Double ad day is extra busy because it's the day that the ads from two weeks overlap. On a normal trip to Sprouts we're accosted once or twice, on double ad days, you never know!
On this particular trip we were stopped almost immediately after entering the store. I had the boys in the double stroller and Mark had the shopping cart. He is great at evading, avoiding, and escaping the gawkers (which we say with love, of course). So he started on the shopping part while I was stopped by what looked like an older couple and the mother of one of the members of the older couple. They started asking the 'obligatory' questions - are they twins? how old are they? etc., etc. As they were getting ready to close their part of the conversation and I was about to walk away, the mother interrupted. So now I have three people talking to me at once, and asking the same questions again. I politely answered and then got my shopping face on and tried to look like I was leaving. Well, apparently that was not in everyone's plan for me.
The 'mother' of the group put her hand on mine to stop me from pushing the stroller away. I'm a nice person, so I won't use physical force to shove an old lady away so I can shop. However, this lady not only touched me, she leaned over and kissed my son! I thought I saw a window of opportunity to leave, but instead of stepping back, she stepped in front of my stroller. She made some comment like, "I have to kiss the other one, too!" and proceeded to lean over and kiss my other son. Mind you, this woman weighed all of 90 pounds wet and her structure looked like it matched in age. I thought she was going to fall on the boys - what a traumatic experience that would've been! We finally freed ourselves from our first entanglement, with only minor wounds - and most of those will be fixed with some therapy.
We were met with comments, glances, etc. through the rest of our shopping experience, but thankfully no more physical contact with strangers. As we were getting ready to check out, I took the boys to the end of the check-out line that Mark was in. It's easier to wait for him on that side than for me to attempt to maneuver the double wide stroller through the narrow lane. As one man in a restaurant so kindly informed my boys as we hit the door frame, "Your mommy isn't a great driver!" Anyway, the woman in front of Mark was still checking out, but was immediately drawn to the boys instead of paying attention to her own shopping.
The first comment was something like, "They're not identical, are they? His cheeks are rounder than the other one's." I smiled and told her that yes, in fact, they are identical. Then she said something like, "And his head is rounder." Yes, lady, identical twins still have differences - the characteristics are expressed differently in each child. Then there was a third comment which I don't even remember. As she was (finally) walking away, a man standing next to me looked over and said, "And one's wearing brown shoes and the other is wearing blue shoes!" The woman stopped and turned around and I put my head down to look at the boys so as not to have to make eye contact with her. :) That 'grandpa' made my day!
As we walked out we only heard one comment in the parking lot about how cute they are. I love being the mommy of two adorable boys...even when shopping with them is filled with such drama. :)
We took a family trip to Sprouts last Wednesday, which happens to be double ad day there. Sprouts is a farmer's market type store, with lots of produce and healthy things in it. Because the prices are usually very good there, a lot of the senior population also likes to shop there. Double ad day is extra busy because it's the day that the ads from two weeks overlap. On a normal trip to Sprouts we're accosted once or twice, on double ad days, you never know!
On this particular trip we were stopped almost immediately after entering the store. I had the boys in the double stroller and Mark had the shopping cart. He is great at evading, avoiding, and escaping the gawkers (which we say with love, of course). So he started on the shopping part while I was stopped by what looked like an older couple and the mother of one of the members of the older couple. They started asking the 'obligatory' questions - are they twins? how old are they? etc., etc. As they were getting ready to close their part of the conversation and I was about to walk away, the mother interrupted. So now I have three people talking to me at once, and asking the same questions again. I politely answered and then got my shopping face on and tried to look like I was leaving. Well, apparently that was not in everyone's plan for me.
The 'mother' of the group put her hand on mine to stop me from pushing the stroller away. I'm a nice person, so I won't use physical force to shove an old lady away so I can shop. However, this lady not only touched me, she leaned over and kissed my son! I thought I saw a window of opportunity to leave, but instead of stepping back, she stepped in front of my stroller. She made some comment like, "I have to kiss the other one, too!" and proceeded to lean over and kiss my other son. Mind you, this woman weighed all of 90 pounds wet and her structure looked like it matched in age. I thought she was going to fall on the boys - what a traumatic experience that would've been! We finally freed ourselves from our first entanglement, with only minor wounds - and most of those will be fixed with some therapy.
We were met with comments, glances, etc. through the rest of our shopping experience, but thankfully no more physical contact with strangers. As we were getting ready to check out, I took the boys to the end of the check-out line that Mark was in. It's easier to wait for him on that side than for me to attempt to maneuver the double wide stroller through the narrow lane. As one man in a restaurant so kindly informed my boys as we hit the door frame, "Your mommy isn't a great driver!" Anyway, the woman in front of Mark was still checking out, but was immediately drawn to the boys instead of paying attention to her own shopping.
The first comment was something like, "They're not identical, are they? His cheeks are rounder than the other one's." I smiled and told her that yes, in fact, they are identical. Then she said something like, "And his head is rounder." Yes, lady, identical twins still have differences - the characteristics are expressed differently in each child. Then there was a third comment which I don't even remember. As she was (finally) walking away, a man standing next to me looked over and said, "And one's wearing brown shoes and the other is wearing blue shoes!" The woman stopped and turned around and I put my head down to look at the boys so as not to have to make eye contact with her. :) That 'grandpa' made my day!
As we walked out we only heard one comment in the parking lot about how cute they are. I love being the mommy of two adorable boys...even when shopping with them is filled with such drama. :)
posted by House of Chang | 9:29 PM
2 Comments:
Next time disguise one as a puppy. That should cut the questions in half :o)
ROFL!!! Go 'Grandpa'!!!
It will never end!! I still have educated people ask me if my twins are identical. Hello!! Boy and a girl... let's think about that now!
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