$1.00 Off Paper Towels
Henry crying is a funny thing. For the most part, he cries only when he is completely miserable (as opposed to only slightly miserable), and we can tell pretty much why he feels that way. He’s hungry or overly tired or Daddy nearly cut his leg off. Last night, however, he cried for another reason: we took a piece of paper away from him.
It was around 5:30, and the three of us were lounging on the bed, playing with feet and clipping coupons. I love to clip coupons. The fact that we only use three or four each time we go to the grocery store, even though we carry around approximately 893 of them stuffed into an envelope as we prowl the aisles, doesn’t diminish my love for them.
In fact, a coupon aside…
When I lived in Three Bridges, New Jersey, there was a local grocery store named Grand Union (it’s a Pathmark now, I believe) that used to double and even triple your coupons. (There were three chances to double and two changes to triple each week, although those were only available on coupons 50 cents and less.) Like now, I was on a real budget, and I would plan out what I would be doubling and tripling. My years of algebra having done me good, I was always able to maximize my savings.
Well, one day, I’m shopping at the Grand Union when I come upon the cake mix aisle. I knew I had a coupon for brownies — at 50 cents, a candidate for tripling — so I search for the correct brand (Duncan Hines, if I remember correctly). I pull it off the shelf when I notice that it’s also on sale… two boxes for $3 or (as you all do the math in your head) $1.50 for one box. With my triple coupon, I will have gotten that box of brownie mix for nothing at all.
I looked around, checking to see if anyone else noticed what bounty I had before me. My fellow shoppers were none the wiser. I think I didn’t even bother to finish with the rest of the store, as I ran up to the register. The checkout gal happily gave me my discount, not realizing that she had allowed theivery to occur under her nose.
I drove home, called up Kristen, and proudly announced my brownie coup! I went on and on about how this was truly a great thing, that, with just a little know-how and a scissors, anyone can get their free brownie mix.
For some reason, she wasn’t very impressed. Though she did help me eat the brownies.
Back to the present. So we’re on the bed, clipping coupons, entertaining Henry, when he takes a sheet of paper, and starts playing with it. He crumples it up, uncrumples it, passes it from one hand to the next, and, of course, shoves it in his mouth. Well, this goes on for a bit until it’s time to get him ready for bed (changed into his pajamas, fed, washed, etc.).
We take the piece of paper away from him. That’s all we did.
You’d think that we just told him that he wasn’t allowed in his excersaucer any more. Shrieks! Wails! Red face! Tears flying out of the corner of his eyes! How dare we take away his precious piece of paper.
I’m holding him, completely shocked at this, as Kristen is saying over and over “Give him back the paper! Give him back the paper!” So I did, and it quickly went into his mouth, and the tears stopped.
This is a new thingTM for Henry. In the past, he’s shown that he has preferences for things — his stuffed mouse, Vivienne’s toy Pooh — but he’s never gotten upset that these things were taken away from him. He merely looked at something else. Suddenly he knows he wants something and is very willing to tell people when he’s not getting it.
Of course, while this is a good thing (any sort of mental development is good and is praised incessantly), it’s also a bad thing, because it means he’s going to start crying because he wants something which will quickly lead to temper tantrums, holding his breath, and telling us he doesn’t love us any more.
Of course, all tears can easily be remedied by a brownie.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Raphe and coupons…..for some reason they do not go together.
HMMMMM.