I love my job, don’t get me wrong, but if there’s anything more frustrating than playing Uno with preschoolers, it’s having a 3-year-old with a toy cash register.
They hold all the power, and they know it. (fist shake) They can play the game and make it go on forehver.
A typical scenario will go like this. We’ll use Hunter, since you’re familiar with his work.
Hunter (plunks down the cash register across the table from me): You wanna buy someting?
Me: Sure. What do you have? (I always ask this because I’m never sure what kind of store I’m in. Plus, I know what’s coming.)
Hunter: We have food, toys or Legos.
Me: Legos, please.
Hunter: We’re out of Legos.
See what he did there? They all do that. If I just ask for something, they’re out. If I ask ‘What do you have’, whatever it is on the list that I want – they are out of it. They outgrow this by 4, but the 3’s are positively drunk with the power of making me wait for my goods and/or services. Let’s try Evie at her restaurant:
Evie: What do you want to drink?
Me: What do you have?
Evie: We have coffee, milk, pop and juice.
Me: I’ll have some coffee, please.
Evie: We don’t have any coffee.
Me: Ok, milk then.
Evie: We’re out of milk.
Me: What do you have again?
Evie: pop, milk, juice, coffee
Me: I’d love some juice.
Evie: We’re out.
Me: …..Can I speak to a manager?
I do eventually get to buy something, but the price is astronomical. My Legos, when I eventually got them, were five money. Hmmmph. I remember when you could get them for one money.
Priceless! My son was exactly the same, though he is now 4 and has lost interest in playing shops for the time being at least. Currently, I have to pretend to be an Octonaut, or make inanimate objects talk. And I must be holding the item I am speaking for at all times: “Hold the box/ball/tape measure Mummy. Hold it!”. These items generally need googly eyes superglued to them too. Our house is getting quite creepy looking…
That’s exactly what it’s like to go to KFC here in Baltimore. Exactly.
What happens if you ask them for something they didn’t offer, like coconuts?
Hunter: “We’re out of coconuts.”
Ribs, have you seen these?
HAHAHAHA!!! That is hilarious!!
And thank you 3 year olds! This is a GREAT system for when I don’t feel like making dinner. I often ask what everyone feels like having & they ask what the choices are. Muahhhhhh!!