1 post tagged “target”

At Target today, there was a moppet, apx. age four. I was selecting sponges, the kind you clean with, from a bin containing many colors and one size. She saunters over and asks me what I'm doing. 

"Picking out sponges," I say.
"What for?" she asks.
"Cleaning up messes," I say.
"I make messes sometimes," she confesses.
"Me too!" I say with conspiratorial glee. I offer her my palm to slap five and she does. "What color do you think I should get"?" I ask, pointing to the bin of candy colored cellulose pads.
"Pink. Also green!" She is very excited now. I reach in and remove a pink and green sponge, toss them into my cart.
"Great choice!" I say, "Thank you for helping me." I wave bye and turn my cart down the aisle.

I hear her little feet shuffling back to her cart where her mother has returned her attention having selected her dish liquid. The girl excitedly stammers "Mommy! I picked out some sponge colors and the lady bought them. She's messy too!" I turn back to wave, a courtesy to the mom, when speaking to children I don't know, I always try to acknowlege the parents as if to say "I respect you" or "I was the person your child was speaking to,"  or whatever. As soon as I turn, I see the mom is snatching the girl up, and is looking at me in terror. (the mom, the girl just looks confused.) The mother says, "Watch out for ladies like her!"

So I wonder if like me means blonde, friendly, harmless, messy, high fivers, or sponge purchasers?
Maybe I shouldn't speak to kids anymore? It's a shame, because up until the mom part, it was the best surprise of my day.