Babies and Tire Places

I learn new things everyday about the world of parenting. There are some things that you just have to experience. My dad used to preach about "empirical knowledge." This is knowing something because you have experienced it yourself, and is not solely based on hearing about it or watching it. You know on the deepest level because you have been there.

I now have empirical knowledge about taking a small child to a tire place while you wait for a rotation. I have lived it. I have survived it.

My dear one had a wonderful nap today and was ever so cheerful so I decided to attempt this insane feat.

We were pleasant for the first 3 1/2 minutes until she discovered the skyscrapers of tires stacked around the room. Let me digress to say that if I worked at a tire place, I would have permanently damaged smell receptors because I cannot STAND the smell of new tires. GROSS. It makes my nose burn and eyes water to just be in there for the brief period of time it takes for a quick rotation. I will say that my time in the tire place today did not seem brief by any stretch of the imagination since my child went loco.

She ran around the stacks of tires. She tried to get into the tires. She licked the store front glass. She threw cheerios and the sippy cup on the floor. She screamed when I held her hand to steer her away from the shiny rims. She went limp and then thrashed on the floor when I attempted to pick her up. It was torturous to say the least. I felt myself burning up from the inside out with embarrassment and frustration.

As usual, a "helpful" older lady said, "Just wait till she's 2. Then she'll be really bad." I responded, "My child is NOT bad, she is 1 year old and wants to run and play. She's normally a very agreeable kid." I slinked back to my corner of despair.

After what seemed like an eternity and to my relief (and probably to the relief of every person in the place) my car was finished. 35 minutes of pure chaos had come to an end and I bashfully grabbed my key, signed the receipt and proceeded to chunk my recalcitrant child in her car seat.

As I drove off, she started chuckling. No, hee-hawed hysterically is a better word for it. She was just fine for the rest of the afternoon.

Serves me right taking a baby to a tire place. I guess my next stop will be an antique shop.