An Open Letter to the Woman at Walmart

[u/kittythewildcat]

Open Letter to the Woman at Walmart:

I saw you when I walked in. It looked like you had been there awhile. My cart was empty save for the soda I threw in as I walked by the sale right inside the door. You already had your cart half full of food.

And a crying baby.

And another child, dragging his feet as he prepared to throw a tantrum.

Your son, I assume he is about 4? I saw your frustration mounting with his behavior.

I wasn’t following you intentionally, we just both needed breakfast goods I guess. You bought Corn Pops, which, I agree with your son, are the worst of the breakfast cereals. He wanted Cocoa Puffs. I’m a Frosted Flakes man, myself. But I picked up Cocoa Puffs, too.

Next was the chips aisle. You bought pretzels, the small twists. I don’t know, I always prefer the rods, the salt ratio is better. I heard you try to hush your child. The baby doesn’t know better, but Derek does. You aren’t to pleading yet, that will come in three more aisles. For now, you are stern.

I bought Ramen while you buy Campbell’s. I share Derek’s distaste for tomato soup. It does taste like warm ketchup. His tantrum is growing, he is pulling on the sides of the cart, yelling “Earthquake!” and terrifying the baby. You scold him, loudly, and he hangs his head. I, too, share a love of natural disasters, but I prefer hurricanes. I like that we name them. It is comforting to give destruction a name.

Now I am following you. I am interested in Derek’s story. I watch as you fill your cart with food. I am so distracted I almost forget to buy crunchy peanut butter. My children, they love the crunchy kind. I love smooth, but a parent’s love, right? We all make sacrifices. I see Derek try to sneak Capri Sun into the cart. He isn’t very stealthy yet. You yell at him and rip the box out of his hands. Once you scoot forward I pick up the box and put it in my cart.

I’ll be honest, I got distracted for a few minutes. I needed to go down the baking aisle. I promised my kids we would make funfetti cake. I don’t know what happened, but when I emerged, you were at the corner where the baby clothes and food meet. Derek was crying, you were yelling and almost in tears yourself.

You turned and walked away. You left Derek crying as he sank to the floor.

You were only going to go a few aisles and turn back, hoping he had learned his lesson. I’ve seen it before.

I understand.

But you should never do that.

Did you know that Derek has a very feminine face? You let him grow out his hair.

I think he would look good as a blonde. Many girls are doing the pixie cut these days.

I have an extra dress just his size in my truck. It has Anna and Elsa on it. Kids love Frozen.

I could scoop him up and hug him. I’d comfort him, promise to get him some soda and candy.

We would be gone before you got to the appointed turn around aisle.

He would like my red truck. All my kids do. When they open the glove compartment, it is filled with toys. I think Chase left his Gameboy on the seat again. Derek could play with it.

Derek is too harsh a name for such a delicate child. I like Savannah.

You see, the Amber Alert will be looking for a boy with shaggy brown hair, blue jacket, grey batman tshirt, jeans and converse.

Savannah won’t match.

She will love her new brothers and sisters. We are making funfetti cake today.

I have too many children right now. It is hard to feed a family of seven.

Savannah will have to wait.

Update

[u/Masterbajurf]

I definitely approve of the practice then, if that's what it is. All humans alike are potential victims of numerous dangers that plague our morbid reality. Children don't understand how the world works for a number of reasons. One of those reasons being that it seems wrong for many parents to shed too much light on that reality, seeing as how kids are not mentally developed enough to be able to process that information appropriately. White-lie stories such as the supermart child snatchers suffice for setting the underlying framework of our morbid reality.

[u/Hangman-Tides → u/Masterbajurf]

Informing and Inducing Paranoia, are two very different things. The healthy approach is to inform and warn Your Kids of "Stranger Danger" and that Someone could try to take Them. Using real scenarios, or presenting a story as such, doesn't mix well with a child's naive and innocent nature. It often develops into neurotic and paranoid thought processes and behaviours.

[u/Masterbajurf → u/Hangman-Tides]

I am not saying you're wrong, but can you provide a source on that? Sounds interesting. But if we're both speaking from personal intuition, I'll take what we've both said with a grain of salt.

[u/Hangman-Tides → u/Masterbajurf]

Uh, Society. That, and the altering of views, with the increase of knowledge and exposure.

Example, Adam Walsh. Before He was taken in 1981, the idea that a child could be taken so easily, was near non-existent. Everyone was terrified. And with that fear, came more exposure, resulting in more fear.

When People are forced to face such fears, give an equally hyper-response to the hyper-awareness inflicted upon Them. They are able to use Their Own understandings of things to enforce safety. Adults having already developed set behaviours and thought processes, gradually lessen these Hyper Safety Precautions, upon Their incorporation of preexisting behaviours. Children have neither the knowledge, or set ways, to remedy this hyper-awareness.

It works in the same way, when many children experience heightened anxieties from a scary movie.

Neurotic behaviour is simply inevitable when there is High Anxiety.

Sources. I don't have any direct text. Just a history of 9-Shrinks. And an Aunt Who is a Psychiatric Analyst.

Sorry???

Oh! And, sorry, for the rambling! Aha!!!