One might ask themselves when walking through any department, grocery or drug store... actually any store or public facility for that matter, why they put fire extinguishers at eye level of a toddler and paint them red. I have wondered this question from time to time along with why they put a big sticker across a fire escape door that in bold letters says, "EMERGENCY EXIT...ALARM WILL SOUND." That just screams to boys of inquisitive nature, and I manage to have four of that type, "You NEED to figure this out, you NEED to push this button." Hmmmm....what will happen.
This scenario was played out about a month ago at our local Target store. I had decided to take the kids swimming at Lifetime, but needed to get life vests for Callan and Zander. Callan had almost drowned two days prior, so we were playing it safe. Anyway, I am trying to figure out which vest is how much, because they ranged in price from $10-50. While I value my child's safety, I felt it unnecessary to spend $100 on a vest they were going to wear in a zero depth swimming pool. Enter Callan walking stiffed legged and soaked from hip to toe. I said, "Callan, did you pee?" He said, "Sorry, mommy." He has not had an accident in more than six months at home or anywhere else. Why he chose Target on this particular day to be the day, is beyond me. But, trying to keep a sense of humor, I say, well it is good we are at Target. So I tell him, Don't worry about it, we will get you some clothes, shoes, socks, underwear...the works." To this he seems satisfied and follows stiff legged behind me while I wheel a cart with five children in tow around the store on my scavenger hunt.
We get everything except for the shoes. I am trying to find his size and for some reason that day, I had the choice of about one pair of shoes in his size. All of the sudden, I start coughing and wheezing and see a puff of yellow smoke raising above the shoe department of Target. I look back at the stiff legged and very wet Callan who is now covered in fire extinguisher powder. Callan says, sensing the horror I am feeling, "I sorry mommy." I quickly grab the shoes and exit as quickly as possible. There is no denying that it was him that pulled the fire extinguisher it was caked on his soaked pants and shoes. So, I quickly (well as quickly as I could with a stiff legged four year old covered in fire extinguisher gook following behind me) make my way to the checkout with four different life vests, only wanting the one that was midrange, but nothing is marked and I couldn't figure it out amongst the chaos. I tell the checker to give me the vests that were $25 and added that the yellow cloud that you could now see from the front of the store was from my son's run-in with the fire extinguisher. He chuckled and chuckled a bit more, which at the time I found irritating, but now am so thankful that I didn't get an old bitty without a sense of humor.
