Shhhh!

Yesterday I took the kids shopping for school supplies. I had each child's list in hand, had prepared myself mentally for their excited actions while in the store, and thought I was well prepared.

The kids were unbelievably well behaved. I was thrilled. No one was crying. There was no arguing. They were even quiet because they know how I need quiet to think.

However, no one gave the memo of how I need quiet to think to a family of five that happened to be shopping for school supplies at the exact same time we were.

Nice.

At first, I only spotted Mom and three daughters. She was a novice back-to-school shopper. How could I tell? Mom was as excited as the girls.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all excited about the kids going back to school, goodness knows. But the actual shopping part? With kids in tow? Not so much.

So, little Patty is running around like a soon-to-be-kindergartener, choosing her own school supplies, weaving in and out of an overly crowded aisle, while Mom just stands at the end, smiling. Yep, she does not have a clue, is what I'm thinking.

Meanwhile, I am pushing my buggy, trying not to run over little Patty who keeps running in front of me as she darts in and out of buggy traffic, AND I'm making sure my kids don't get any wild ideas from sweet little Patty, mainly by giving them the look.

Sarah may be the same age as little Patty, but by golly, she knows the look.

So, as I'm combing over my three lists (Maddie did hers on her own, thank goodness) of school supplies to make sure I am getting everything we need, Dad shows up.

Or should I say, sounds up. Meaning he was LOUD.

He stood at the opposite end of the aisle from Mom and held a conversation that could be heard from the other side of the SuperCenter, I'm certain.

"How much are those crayons? Because these are cheap, and I'm all about the cheap!"

He looks at me, smiling and laughing, as if he is waiting for me to laugh with him.

No such luck today, buddy. I try in vain to ignore him and focus as he continues to hold the aisle long conversation.

Oh, did I mention his wife did not speak back to him? I do not know if she was hoping people did not realize they were together or if she was just ignoring his ignorance. Which is how you stay married to someone like that, in my opinion.

I realize hind sight is 20/20. I should have offered to help this family with their list FOR ONE so I could get on with my list for three.

I told Madison in a hushed tone to hurry up and get what she needed so we could get off of this aisle. We both just started tossing things in that might possibly be on our list, not really caring if they were, and decided to go elsewhere in the store to sort through and make sure we had everything.

Only here's the thing: Little Patty's family ended up where we went FOR QUIET.

I thought I might scream. Perhaps I did. It was such an odd experience I'm not sure I can be held accountable for my actions.

Dad starts complaining about how specific the list is, and why do the ziploc bags have to be ths kind with sliders instead of the ones that are impossible to close, and Mom just stands there in silence focusing on the kids.

I could not take it anymore. If she is not going to put this stupidity to rest and give the rest of us a break, then I will.

So I look directly at him and say, "It makes the teacher's life easier."

To which he had no response.

Finally. Quiet.