Walmart's Bad Parent Award

It went down something like this:

Maddie and Makenna have been bugging us for an Icee at checkout ever since Walmart opened. You see, the NEW Walmart has this bright new, shiny machine at the front of the store with the colorful stuff in clear windows swirling around temptingly. The girls know how this works because they've seen other people put the cup to the lever, fill the cup, add a straw and lid, and walk away smiling. Basically, it's one of their childhood dreams.

Yesterday, Steve bought two for all of us to share.

We put Maddie, Maya and Charlie in the basket of the cart and Makenna walked along the side of them. They were having a grand time passing the cups between them, sharing the two different flavors. Turns out, Charlie, who has only had milk, water and an occasional beer, LOVES Icees and is quite efficient at using a straw!

So imagine with me, dear reader: Steve and I were enjoying this freakish moment of sibling love... the girls were negotiating drinks from the cups, we were walking along side it all, laughing at Charlie, who -- when he didn't have the cup in his hand with the straw in his mouth -- was standing in the back of the cart, clutching the bars, smashed in with his two sisters, red faced and SCREAMING.

We got the "Bad Parent Award" from the Walmart greeter as bestowed upon us by her very disapproving looks as we left the building.

Maybe she knew about the beer.