Walking into the grocery store doesn't usually make me feel anything remotely like I felt today. I had just barely gotten out of my car when a sight in the parking lot unexpectedly made my blood boil. There was a shopping cart, outfitted with one of those things in front of the handle to put your infant/toddler in, and I've seen the plain red seats that keep them strapped in, and I've seen the little cars that my youngest used to beg to ride in when she was small. This one had airplane wings and a double console.

I assure you, these contraptions have never bothered me before. They keep tired, bored or otherwise disgruntled small children occupied during a very necessary errand. In the very early 1990's, I was a single parent and had to do most of my grocery-ing with 2 toddlers. While these errands were busy and stressful, I've never been as thin as I was during those few years.

What set me off this morning was this. We live, now, in an age of hyper drive, of constant internet and cell-phone access. Our kids are plugged in as never before. Other blogs are written on this topic, so I'll move on. At the grocery store, in the early 90's, and long before that, the early 70's when my mom took me, and my brother, we learned about the grocery store.

We learned about produce and the different kinds of grains and shapes of bread. We learned about coupons, colors, and which cereals not to buy. Yes, we got the occasional box of Apple Jacks and Count Chocula, just like other kids, but we also learned at a very young age that granola was better, and for those lessons I am grateful.

When we got just a little bit older, we helped at the Whole Foods Co-op just as it was starting up, helping stock newly cut and labeled cheese in the fridge or helping to measure the spices. These experiences are so rich in my mind I can taste havarti and smell the granola and homemade fries my mom used to make when I was about 10.

So when you're grocery shopping, put your kids in the airplane if they're tired and you can't stand another plea for Blue-Coated Sugar Pops. On another day, when everyone is well rested, stop at Cub or Whole Foods and try an avocado, smell the soup and point out all the weird things with weird names in the salad bar. And have fun!