Um, thanks...but I don't remember asking

I should know better than to go grocery shopping with two kids in tow.

It never ends well.

But, wanting to get this one 'chore' out of the way for the week and needing to get the kids (and myself) out of the house for a little bit, I decided "Hey! Let's go to the grocery store!"

I bribed the kids with lunch at McDonald's first, figuring that if they had been fed perhaps they would be OK.

I might have also told them that if they didn't behave and if I had to tell them to "walk", "hold hands", "don't touch", or "stop running" at any point during the trip to the store, I would be sending Santa Claus an e-mail as soon as we returned home and maybe, just maybe, he would skip our house on Christmas Eve.

Yeah, I might have said that. :) [Oh, go ahead. Judge me. I have to play the 'Santa Card' while I still can.]

But I digress from the point of this story.

See, as we're walking through the aisles of the store I said to the girls "Hold on guys...mommy needs to stop here." And of course, they didn't listen. So I said "Girls! Stop walking. Now."

And then suddenly this woman says to me "Oh, mom. They're just having fun. They grow up so fast, you should enjoy it."

WH-WHA-WHA-WHAT?????

I'm sorry, I must be losing my hearing, because I swear you just told me how to parent MY children.

I looked at her and as politely as I could said, "Yeah. Thanks."

And she just kept talking about how I needed to enjoy my kids now because before I know it they'll be all grown up, blah blah blah.

[And I'm thinking, no...if you keep blabbing on like this, before I know it my kids will be in the dairy section. Alone. Because I'm stuck here, listening to you give me unsolicited and unwanted "advice".]

Grrr.

Here's my issue with this. These are MY kids. And therefore if I want to tell them (somewhat sternly) to stay put while we're in a public place (that could be full of potential monsters who steal small children), well that's my choice. So you, Miss BUTTINSKY, should just mind your own business.

I know that kids grow up too fast. I get that. But kids also get lost (or worse) when they wander away from their parents. And that is not a risk I'm willing to take.

And so, the point of this story is: unless (1) you know me somehow and (2) I actually ask you for your opinion, do NOT tell me how I should (a) parent my children or (b) stop and "enjoy" my children as they run wildly through the grocery store.

I've got it all under control.

Most of the time.