Yesterday the hubs and I decided we needed to get away for a day. This dreary Ohio weather has kept us stuck in the house for too long. We decided to do a little shopping at Lodi Prime Outlet Mall. The weather was drab again but we figured no one else would be shopping, so it might be a perfect opportunity.
We packed up the car, ate a nice lunch, then hit the malls with our little man to do some shopping. Oddly enough, most boys don't enjoy shopping... but Ethan could hardly wait for lunch to be over so we could shop.
After a little bit of shopping, we decided to stop in the food court for a little afternoon snack. The perfect afternoon snack, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, of course!! We ordered some pretzel nuggets and cheese and split them between the three of us. They were divine! Even better, we were the ONLY people in the entire food court.
While we were finishing our pretzel sticks Ethan asked if he could have some milk. I told him that he could go get milk, but he would need to go up and buy it himself. We were sitting very near Auntie Anne's, so, I gave him $2 and we sat back and watched to see what our little man would do on his own.
This is how the scene unfolded:
Ethan: "Excuse me, can I have a white milk, please?"
Pretzel Lady: "Why of course little man. That will be $1.59."
Ethan: Hands over his two dollars and receives his change back. "Thank you". He comes running back to give me the money. Then runs back up to the pretzel lady and waits for his milk.
Pretzel Lady: "Here you go young man. You have very nice manners."
Ethan: "Thank you."
Ethan returned to the table and Daddy and I went on and on about how proud we were of him. All the times of enforcing "Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, Bless You, etc." has finally paid off. It was a huge victory for mom and dad!!
A few moments later as Ethan was enjoying his milk the Pretzel lady came over to our table. She placed in front of Ethan an entire plate of new Whole Grain Caramel Apple Pretzel Sticks, a pretzel sticker, and a really cool pretzel straw. She talked to Ethan about what a polite boy he was and how impressed she was with his manners. We thanked her a million times and enjoyed the pretzels!
As we were leaving Ethan ran up to the counter one more time and told the Pretzel Lady "Thanks for the pretzels".
It was a really fun shopping day and to top it off... our little boy is proving himself to be a very polite gentlemen. I am so proud of my little man and am glad he is growing into the man I want him to be. My parents always worked to make my sister and I as independent as possible. I remember the small lessons my parents used that made us the strong, independent women we are today. We can drive a manual transmission, change oil or tires, navigate directions from a map, speak in front of groups, move across the country, shoot a gun, ride a horse, start a fire, and still work 10 hour days in high heels, manage employees, keep a neat house, cook a meal, and raise children. We may not be perfect but I am so proud of how independent my own mother is... and that we are who we are... because of her. We love you mom! Here's to the next generation of 'we can do anything' kidders.
