That Kid

Oh you know what I'm talking about.

"That kid" is the one you see having the meltdown at the grocery store, or the tantrum at the restaurant. "That kid" is the one that's crying and screaming for all six hours of a cross-country flight. "That kid" is the one where you feel bad for the parents, but are also secretly glad that your kids are not like.

Or at least, you hope they aren't.

Here's the thing, though: we all have "that kid." We just don't want to admit it. And really, why would we? It's not like we as parents want to have that kind of attention drawn to us. Vanity plays a key part here; we want our children to be perfect little angels, especially in public. We want to be seen as the Gold Standard of child-raising. You want others to look at you and say to themselves, "now that's how a family should be."

Which is why, when our kids act like...well, kids...we tend to sink that much further down in the chair. We're the ones that are supposed to look at the families with "that kid," not be that family, right?

I know I've been guilty of that. I've caught myself on more than one occasion where I see some kids raise hell someplace and say, "wow. I'm glad Brady doesn't act like that." And then a few minutes later, I'm watching my daughter break down in the store because she can't get every toy in the building. Suddenly, instant amnesia kicks in, and I'm thinking to myself, "why? Why am I the only parent who has 'that kid?' What am I doing wrong?"

It'd probably be better for every parent's psyche to realize that a) you're not the only parent to have "that kid," and b) you're not a bad parent if you have "that kid." Embarassing? Absolutely. But it's also a part of growing up, for the kids, as well as us parents.

Besides, sometimes it can be okay to be "that kid." Honestly. Sometimes being the parents of "that kid" can be a good thing.

Case in point, this was something that happened this past weekend. Brady and I drove down to Salt Lake City to pick up Stacey at the airport. While we were down there, we decided to head to The Gateway (an outdoor mall-type place) for some food and to do some shopping.

We stopped in a boutique shop that sells different kinds of olive oils and vinegars. While there, Brady tried some of the different samples. Some she liked, and some she didn't. Then she went to an employee that was helping us, said "excuse me," and proceeded to ask him about the different kinds of vinegar, and which she liked. She even asked if she could have some more samples to see how they tasted.

At the end, we purchased a couple of bottles. While ringing them up, the employee said to Stacey that Brady was the first kid that he had seen, who came into the store and didn't start grabbing bottles, and causing a mess. plus, he was very impressed with her politeness.

See? Sometimes,"that kid" can be the one that says "please" and "thank you". Sometimes, "that kid" is the one that is very courteous and nice to the waiter at the restaurant. Sometimes, "that kid" can be the one that people remember for the good behavior displayed, and not that the bad behavior that we as parents sometimes focus on.

Because here's the thing: we all have "that kid," too.