Food and Rest

I went grocery shopping yesterday, and had Bodhi with me.  Something happened in the check-out line that I cannot get out of my head...

Bodhi was in good spirits throughout our trip around the store, and was still in good spirits in the check-out line.
(Not always the case, but it worked out well this time.)
The cashier, and the lady in line behind us, loved him.  They played hide-and-seek with him, and giggled with him, and he played along and peek-a-boo'd and flirted and waved and said "hi" over and over again.

It was when I was paying that the lady behind me said, "It's so nice to see a HAPPY toddler for once.  I get so sick and tired of seeing those screaming crying babies and toddlers all of the time. Oh I just can't STAND it!"  And she rolled her eyes and mimicked an unhappy toddler by throwing her hands up and waving them and making a ridiculous crying face.  She looked at Bodhi, who was laughing at her acting ... skills... and said, "Yes... I like happy kids. I can't stand those bratty ones. They're just awful! Yuck."

I quickly went from smiling at her and nodding, to suddenly not smiling, and instead feeling shocked at what she was saying.  I know she meant well.  In a round-about way she was paying a compliment... I think.  But it was at the expense of other children.
And that's what bothered me.

When I have shopping trips well-planned, like on that day, I make sure Bodhi has had a nap, and I give him a good-sized snack before we leave.
I hear my mom's voice quite often, saying, "food and rest... food and rest..."
There are so many situations that I hear her saying that mantra.

FOOD and REST... they can help get you through anything.

There are plenty of times I did not plan well, and one of the kids was either tired, or hungry, or *gasp* both tired and hungry... and as a result I have had one of those 'screaming crying bratty' toddlers in the store. Sometimes I've been able to subdue them enough to finish the shopping trip, other times, I've had to leave the store for a bit until the tantrum died down.
It's bound to happen.
Big deal.
Try not to get so annoyed with unhappy little ones.
They're human just like the rest of us.  They hurt and get frustrated just like the rest of us.

Dogs bark, Cats meow, Cows moo, Babies cry. 
Big deal.

Empathy.

If a grown-up is lacking sleep, that grown-up gets tired and grumpy.
If a grown-up is hungry, that grown-up gets frustrated and grumpy.  (Which has as of recently been referred to as"hangry".)

But when a toddler is tired or hungry, and they fuss or cry, it's annoying.  Why is that?

Imagine you are a toddler (... which, trust me, you were too, at one point)
A very small person.

You are dependent on someone else to help direct you when to sleep because you don't recognize the early signs of tiredness, or... you know... how to read a clock.

You are also dependent on someone else to get you food... because... you know... you can't just walk to the cupboard or refrigerator and make a sandwich.

You can't fully form sentences, but you want desperately to be understood.

Now imagine you are that toddler (remember you can't quite talk and express your frustration through civil conversation), and you are sitting in an uncomfortable cart...
in the middle of a brightly lit busy store...
surrounded by hustle and bustle and commotion...
and on top of it you are TIRED and you are HUNGRY.   
And you're surrounded by food that you can't have!

Recipe for disaster, right?

...

And understandably so.