If you think about it, kids usually follow and learn by example. They do what they see, or think they see.
I vividly remember one summer afternoon, shopping with my mom and my little sister Megan at the Old Orchard mall. It was hot day with the sun beating down on the paved sidewalks along the stores of the outdoor mall. The windows of stores, like Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Marshall Fields, sparkled as the sun hit the perfectly clean glass. My sister and I were both very young at the time: Megan was just a baby while I was turning 4 years old.
Our mom always dragged us to the mall with her. Although I love shopping now, at the time I couldn’t stand spending the afternoon walking through department stores. What little kid would like that?
Whenever we went to the mall, I insisted on stopping into some of my favorite stores. At the age of four, only a few things really appeal to kids in a mall: toy shops and candy stores. One of my favorite places to go was the Disney Store. I knew we were approaching it when I heard the music of The Little Mermaid coming from inside. A glittery sign with bright spotlights welcomed everyone who entered. I loved all the characters, like Pluto, pirates, and all the princesses, along the walls decorating the store, and I admired the pretty sparkling tile floor. The best part of it was that everything was Disney! For me, it was pure excitement to see that I could have a Tinker Bell doll or Mickey Mouse Pillow. It was everything a four year old could want.
That afternoon at the Old Orchard mall I spotted the Disney Store as we walked past it on our way to the car. Of course there was no way I could pass it by, so I pulled my mom by the hand, and she agreed to go inside.
As my mom took Megan and began looking through the sales, I wandered around and explored the store. My eyes lit up when I spotted the Minnie Mouse flip phone across the store. It was hot pink covered in a large Minnie Mouse sticker with a polka dot design. When I opened it, the phone lite up on the inside, and it sounded a high pitched ring when I pressed some of the buttons. That automatically became my favorite thing in the whole store. Nothing else mattered.
I always loved playing with my mom’s real cell phone as a kid. She had a Motorola flip phone at the time, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I would often pretend to be my mom talking on her phone. I would get so excited to dial the number to our home phone on my own and hear my dad’s voice on the other end when he picked up. When I saw that Minnie Mouse phone hanging along the wall I couldn’t have been more thrilled! It was like a dream come true. I felt like nothing else existed in that store. The toy flip phone was enough to make me happy.
After spending some time in the store, my mom found a couple Winnie the Pooh and Tiger beach towels to buy for my sister and me for that summer. I watched as she approached the register handing the cashier her items. They exchanged a few words as the lady bagged the merchandise. In no time my mom was heading for the door. My mom called to me, “Melissa, we’re ready to go! Come on, dad has dinner for us at home.” Dinner was the last thing on my mind. With the phone in my hand I felt like I had the power of an adult. I confidently walked past the cashier and flashed her a smile on my way out. Unaware of the cash exchange that takes place over the counter, I assumed that the purpose of going to the cashier was to ask her to bag the items. Since I was only carrying the toy phone, I figured that a bag wasn’t necessary, so I walked out of the store and quickly caught up with my mom and Megan.
I remember riding the escalator up to the parking garage, holding the phone over my shoulder, looking out over the mall. Happy. Satisfied. I felt grown up and oh so cool as we made our way to the car.
Once I got strapped into my car seat and we were on our way, I began playing with my new phone. Sounds and lights went off as I dialed numbers and pressed random keys. It wasn’t long before my mom turned around to see where the noise was coming from. Proudly, I showed her my new cell phone. Clearly, she wasn’t as excited as I was.
Right away, I was flooded by a sea of questions. “Where did you get that? Did someone give it to you? Is that from the Disney store? Did you take that, Melissa? Where did that come from?” My happiness and excitement turned to confusion. At first, I couldn’t understand why she was so frantic. I finally explained where the phone came from, and my mom couldn’t believe it. The whole rest of the car ride home became a long explanation of why what I did was very wrong. After my mom explained the possible consequences, she told me that I had to decide what to do. I was really confused and still didn’t really know what was happening. My mom suggested that I should return the phone back to the store, which, at the time, was the last thing I wanted to do. Think about it. As a four year old would you want to just give up your new favorite toy that you’re thrilled about? I didn’t think so.
Regardless, the next day, my mom drove me back to Old Orchard mall. Once again she told me why what I did was not right. We walked into the Disney Store, and I gave the phone back to the cashier at the counter. Even though I wish I could have kept the Minnie Mouse phone, I was able to realize that it was the right thing to do.
That was a tough day for me as a four year old. Yeah, I had to let go of something I really loved, but, looking back on it now, I can see that it was a good chance to learn a valuable lesson. It was just another time that my mom was right after all. It’s funny to think about now and realize how silly kids can be. I think you can tell that even though kids may be watching a good example of what to do, they can totally misunderstand and take it the wrong way. I sure did.