"I'm not going to do that when I'm a mom"

Before I was a mom, there were things I would see or hear other moms doing, and I would think to myself, "I'm not going to do that when I'm a mom."  Yesterday I broke down and did one of the "I'm not going to do that" things on my list.  I'm sure it will be the first of many.  

There was a time when I could take Tyler to the grocery store, and he would sit there in his carrier so quietly.  In fact, most of the time he'd even fall asleep!  There were the occasional bad experiences when he'd start crying because I was taking too long in the produce section, but I could usually solve that by simply putting a pacifier in his mouth.  

Those days no longer exist.  Tyler likes the way his voice sounds when he screams as loud as he can, high pitched.  It's not that he's upset, he just likes making noise.  At home, I figure the dog and I will develop a severe loss of hearing, but at least he's happy.  At the grocery store, it's a problem.  I feel as though his voice echos through the aisles of the store.  I can see people cringing as they walk by.  How can such a loud, horrible sound come out of such a cute little guy sitting there in the cart?  It's the kind of scream you would expect to hear in a horror movie before someone dies.  

It was during one of these screaming sessions at the store that I broke down and did it.  I went to the cereal aisle, found a box of Cheerios (well, organic toasted oats...I still have to make wise nutrition decisions even when I'm feeling frantic) and opened them as quickly as possible.  I became one of the parents that gives their baby food to keep them quiet.  And you know what?  It works great!!!  Instant relief to my ears and the rest of the store.  Now I know why all those other mommies give their babies food to keep them quiet.  They do it because it works, and sometimes there's nothing else you can do.  

Michelle