The Accidental Shoplifter

My last post was a meme about my icky memories from elementary school. I didn't get it up (har har) until late last evening as my internet was down for most of the day. I'm posting this now to give you all something a little less downer to read. As well as another installment at 'The Mama D Experiment' Also, what do you all think of the color change? I'm hoping it is easier to read. If not, we can change it again. I am your puppet.

The other day I was sitting in my house sweltering. We have no air conditioning. What have I noticed since the warmer weather began? I really don't have any summer clothes that fit me. I was wearing maternity clothes last year and well, the stuff from the year before that? Um... doesn't fit the same way it used to. The extra crappy part is that we are feeling a tad financially stressed right now. We figure it must be having only 1 ½ incomes instead of two for nearly a year. We were doing well for a long time but lately, yeesh! It has been difficult to keep up. But I digress.

So I decided to buckle Baby A into the stroller and head on down to Giant Tiger. For those of you who aren't familiar with this place it is a discount store. You can buy cheap groceries, home furnishings and clothes all under the same roof. Well eye'll be!! What better place to find some inexpensive summer duds? I picked out several tanks to try on. Baby A had decided midway through our shopping excursion that she was ready to go home. I tried to appease her with anything I could find but knew that I had better get a move on or she might go into full blown freak out mode. I went through the check out with about four tank tops exactly the same style but in different colors.

As we several feet out the door and in the middle of the parking lot I folded down the stroller canopy. Hiding in the canopy was a tank top that I had just accidentally shoplifted. My first thought was “Crap!”. Baby A was starting to have a melt down as I paused in the parking lot. My second thought was “Crap!” The tank top was like, $5. I could just keep walking. Would they really miss it? It's not like I meant to steal it. It was a mistake. I could take it back another day when my baby wasn't screaming her head off. I couldn't do it. I turned the stroller around and went back in the store. I went to the lady at the change rooms and handed her the shirt. I told her what had happened and she nodded understandingly. I'm sure I caught a glimpse in her eye that said “Why the heck did you bother to bring it back, it was only $5?” Yeah, I know.

I've always been an honest person. I've rarely had the guts to do anything that I knew was wrong. And when I have done things that I shouldn't have I feel physically ill. I shouldn't complain. I can only hope my daughter has this freakish internal alarm system. Although if she doesn't she'll save herself the grief of taking a screaming baby back into a store to return a $5 shirt.