Why do whole families grocery-shop together?

[Anonymous]

It just doesn't look that fun. I'm talking grumpy dad, stressed mom, and multiple cranky small children all getting a weeks' worth of groceries.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm a single parent so I have to drag my kids with me. You are right, it is no fun for anyone.

[Anonymous]

WHY do you care???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I'm a single parent so I have to drag my kids with me. You are right, it is no fun for anyone.

Ditto this. I always laugh at the posts where parents seem clueless about how to take their kids shopping with them.

[Anonymous]

We do it sometimes. We get very little time together as a family and when we need to shop, we need to shop. Also many times my kids won't stay home with DH and want to come with me. Shopping by myself with 2 kids is really tough so DH gets dragged along (when he goes by himself, he manages to select the fruit that no one would want-bruised, damaged, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Ugh, my DH wanted to all go grocery shopping a few weeks ago. I think he just didn't want to be left alone with the kids. Needless to say, I put the kibosh on that idea right quick.

But I can think of zillions of reasons why a whole family might be out, and pretty much none of them involve the idea that it's a super-fun family outing.

[Anonymous]

1. because we are a family, and families tend to do things together. Not always grocery shopping, not every week, but often.
2. because some children enjoy it
3. because some of us want our kids to know what errands are and to take part in shopping (and preparing) food.

Seriously, OP, why in the world do you care?

[Anonymous]

When I'm in such a situation, it's because of poor planning on my part. Or being overly optimistc.

We might be out and about as a family, and on our way home I realize I need to stop at the store. I might ask DH to stay in the car with the kids, but he'll probably give in b/c the kids will cry "We want to go in toooooooo...." and he'll think it's a good idea to take them in versus hanging out for 20 minutes in the car alone with them.

Also he'll probably figure I'll be quicker if I have the kids with me than if they are in the car with him.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you have convinced even one family not to do this, you have done us all a public service, IMHO. I have always wondered the same thing, too.

[Anonymous]

To annoy you, OP. That's the only reason!

[Anonymous]

We were that family yesterday. DH with one kid in the "car" cart and me with another child in a "car" cart, separate car carts so that they can't fight. We just wanted to be together, as DH had been traveling for work during Thanksgiving. It was a circus, but we laugh about it and really don't care what anyone else thinks.

[Anonymous]

Grocery store is bad enough. But, for the love of God, can you families of 12 please stay out of my Costco! Free samples do not equal free lunch for your entire clan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grocery store is bad enough. But, for the love of God, can you families of 12 please stay out of my Costco! Free samples do not equal free lunch for your entire clan.

You're an asshole in person too, right?

Just checking. The people on this thread complaining should probably all hang out and be jerks together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. because we are a family, and families tend to do things together. Not always grocery shopping, not every week, but often.
2. because some children enjoy it
3. because some of us want our kids to know what errands are and to take part in shopping (and preparing) food.

Seriously, OP, why in the world do you care?

I'm not the OP but I can tell you why I wonder. I have seen young children running up and down aisles, knocking things over, MB and DB several aisles away and using cell phone to communicate. If you feel it necessary to make grocery shopping a family outing then why not stick together because I have also seen, far too often, young children run ahead of their parents in the parking lot and it is only by the grace of God that some of them haven't been hit or killed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were that family yesterday. DH with one kid in the "car" cart and me with another child in a "car" cart, separate car carts so that they can't fight. We just wanted to be together, as DH had been traveling for work during Thanksgiving. It was a circus, but we laugh about it and really don't care what anyone else thinks.

I wrote this and just wanted to add something. I always wonder about my friends who can't get anything done with their children around. I am a SAHM with a Dh who has traveled 36 times for work this year. I must run a ton of errands with the kids in tow. There is no choice. I just can't imagine that I should stay in my house all day and order my groceries online because I have children. Plus, isn't it important for children to be taken out of the house, even with both parents, and taught HOW to behave in public? Mind you, I don't think children should be in fancy restaurants or making noise in movie theaters, and I'm certainly not an advocate for allowing children to disrupt others' expectation of privacy/quiet/intimacy, but the grocery store? If you see my family and the adults look stressed, maybe we are, but that's the price we pay for having children and teaching them about the world.