Yesterday we went to the mall. This was a bad idea after all. We didn't choose to go to the mall. It's where the Apple store is located. We didn't want to go to the Apple store but someone who's name starts with Rowan messed up Daddy's gigi (iTouch) and we had to get the doohickey that plugs into the thingamajig fixed.
At first we thought this would be a fun day out. We have an outlet mall in our town but not a mall. We drove to the mall without incidence except for that car from New York who was driving 55 (obviously lost). Then we walked into the mall and transformed the rest of our day.
It was big. It was shiny and twinkly. It was loud. Things had changed since the last time we were in a mall. It felt like a big circus was going on. There was entertaining things everywhere for kids. Candy machines, bungy corded trampolines, choo choo trains.
We had to find the restroom by the food court, also. A must with a little kid. I think all the restaurants were handing out free samples. We could have not paid for any food that day because of all the free samples they were giving. And those kids didn't care if they gave one sample or 10. But after you take your kid to the same bathroom three different times you kind of get tired of the same guy trying to push the Chinese food.
We did get the gigi fixed and that was worth the trip but the meltdown by Rowan was not. Let me tell you, she came home a hot mess. All that attention grabbing glitz was too much for her. She was overstimulated. She was crying at the drop of a hat. Her nerves were so raw she threw up all over herself. Daddy hosed her down, wrapped her up, and told her sweet things. And then she was fine. And then she was crying. And then she went to bed.
Suffice to say it will be a long time before we take her back there. A note about the pic above. Rowan has reached an age, which I had heard about, where she no longer wishes to have her picture taken except in a few instances. Apparently she feels more like the paparazzi is after her. She is starting to feel a need for her privacy. Even though she doesn't understand this whole blog thing and the internet, I'm going to work hard to respect her feelings.
Malls have to compete with the internet shoppers and superstores so they have to offer a little something extra, you know? We rarely shop there but often will make it somewhere to go during February when it's just frozen mud outside...
ReplyDeleteA trick that works with my kids when they go through the camera shy stage is to demand that they don't look at the camera and absolutely NO SMILING. It tends to work with the under 5 crowd...
Rowan's not desenstized like all the other zombies. It's a good sign, really;)
ReplyDeleteTracey- Thanks for the tip. I'm certain it will work. She used to be such a camera ham and I'd have to move her out of the way to take a pic of something else and there her head would be bouncing in and out of the pic.
ReplyDeleteCrafty- Somehow I never thought "your kid looks like that girl in the Exorcist" would be a good thing. But I get it.