Parking lots and tiny terrorists

[somethingcleverer]

Does anyone else struggle in the parking lots. Aubrey has decided she doesn't want to hold hands. If I try to hold her hand she will drop her weight and I end up dragging her by the arm. If I let her walk next to me she will try to drift as far away as possible. If I hold her hood or shoulder she'll shake me off and try to run. My options right now are shane can hold her hand or I carry her. Both are ok but not always possible.

[summergirl1211]

I make Riley either hold my hand or sit in the cart (if we're at a store). If she refuses both of those options, I'll carry her with one arm between her legs and the other across her chest (so she's sideways, facing out/down) so when she's kicking and/or screaming she can't hurt me. This mama don't play around in parking lots.

[mrsrek10]

My kid won't walk in a parking lot. He wants to be carried so the "cars not squish me like a bug, momma". So, my child has a fear of waking "where cars go". Which is fine with me...most of the time....sometimes just holding his hand would be nice.

[jennmm]

My kid loses her $hit in the parking lot because she doesn't like to hold my hand and that's not up for debate. I usually end up carrying her like a hysterical sack of potatoes into the store. Thankfully, she usually calms down once I put her in the cart.

[somethingcleverer]

Oh I wish Aubrey was more afraid of cars. She mostly acts out at the preschool because she sees the older kids walking without holding hands but a lot of them still hold their parent's hand. Shane always holds my hand- unless I have to carry a kicking screaming two year old!

[somethingcleverer]

And aubrey has also decided she wants to walk in the store. She's much too grown up for carts.

[bantyrooster]

I just hold on to his wrist. He knows better. We have left stores because he won't hold my hand. He does NOT like to leave target unless he is ready. So I just threaten that we will leave and he listens. He also knows if cars hit you its bad. His favorite part of despicable me 2 is when she backs up and hits him. He doesn't want to get hit like he did.

[aimeefarrahfowler]

I have the two of them to deal with, so I usually park next to the cart return (if at a place that has carts) so I can get them both in straight from the car. Or if I have T in the stroller, he "helps" me push the stroller and stays with me that way.

There's a little lot we park our car in every day - townhouse, so we don't have a driveway or anything. So we talk a lot about not running where cars are and staying with mom and dad, that kind of thing.

[bliz1712]

I do what aimeefarrahfowler does by parking near the closest cart corral. Surprisingly Hanna hasn't put up a fuss about riding in the cart yet. Would letting her ride in the big part of the cart work (if a cart is an option)?

If that doesn't work, then I would do what summergirl1211 does and carry her. Although I would probably not carry her very gracefully and by just my arm around her waist and her parallel with the ground.

[britbratjf]

Well...MOTY here but one time Dagny got away from me & ran into the parking lot (no cars coming thankfully) but she scared me so I grabbed her hand, smacked her butt and yelled at her to never do it again and she always needs to hold my hand in the parking lot so she doesn't get hurt. Hasn't been an issue since. She'll even stop at intersections when we're walking & hold up her hand to cross. So I scared her into it but in my defense she freaked me out!

[somethingcleverer]

Mar 20, 2015 14:04:06 GMT -5 bliz1712 said:

I do what aimeefarrahfowler does by parking near the closest cart corral. Surprisingly Hanna hasn't put up a fuss about riding in the cart yet. Would letting her ride in the big part of the cart work (if a cart is an option)?

If that doesn't work, then I would do what summergirl1211 does and carry her. Although I would probably not carry her very gracefully and by just my arm around her waist and her parallel with the ground.

She doesn't want the big part either. I've been letting use my phone to stay in the cart but I'm trying to get away from that.

[trixi282]

britbratjf, I did the same thing in VA once - J ran out into our apt parking lot, after work when it's usually busy. Luckily no cars were coming. I too smacked her butt.

However, she has forgotten that somewhat... I still have to remind her to hold my hand and tell her it's not an option. There are times he wants to hold something and I tell her she can, but she HAS to stay RIGHT NEXT to mommy, and that if she won't hold my hand I have to hold her hood, or shirt, or something. She doesn't like it, but her other option is the football hold, and she hates that.

J won't sit in a shopping cart either. She gave that up a long time ago. Sometimes I can get her to sit in the big part, for a short time - but I've also been known to let her lay on the bottom portion, and remind her to tell me when she wants to get off so I don't roll her over. She likes laying on her belly and watching where we're going... whatever keeps her occupied!

[paddyb]

Mar 20, 2015 13:37:03 GMT -5 somethingcleverer said:

Does anyone else struggle in the parking lots. Aubrey has decided she doesn't want to hold hands. If I try to hold her hand she will drop her weight and I end up dragging her by the arm. If I let her walk next to me she will try to drift as far away as possible. If I hold her hood or shoulder she'll shake me off and try to run. My options right now are shane can hold her hand or I carry her. Both are ok but not always possible.

most of the time he is good, but this past weekend he refused to hold my hand. It was ab it of a problem since I had Greta strapped to me so I couldn't pick him up. 

[mrsrek10]

Mar 20, 2015 14:04:37 GMT -5 britbratjf said:

Well...MOTY here but one time Dagny got away from me & ran into the parking lot (no cars coming thankfully) but she scared me so I grabbed her hand, smacked her butt and yelled at her to never do it again and she always needs to hold my hand in the parking lot so she doesn't get hurt. Hasn't been an issue since. She'll even stop at intersections when we're walking & hold up her hand to cross. So I scared her into it but in my defense she freaked me out!

Good for you. The only time JA gets a pop on the butt is in dangerous situations and because of that, I had his full attention. I know some are anti-pops but I think safety first.

[cookiesandwine]

Mar 20, 2015 13:39:59 GMT -5 summergirl1211 said:

I make Riley either hold my hand or sit in the cart (if we're at a store). If she refuses both of those options, I'll carry her with one arm between her legs and the other across her chest (so she's sideways, facing out/down) so when she's kicking and/or screaming she can't hurt me. This mama don't play around in parking lots.

I do this carry a lot, unfortunately.

[heatherbee]

Would talking about the expectations before getting out of the car help? I always ask him to tell me what he needs to do in the parking lot and then we talk about what happens in the store (ie. Walking or riding in a cart, -and what kind of cart because he often wants to ride in the gigantic ones that we don't need). Litte pep talks have seemed to help with him. Good luck!

[Riverdong11]

Liam's options are to hold my hand or get carried. We started those options a year ago and now they a habit. It's not always easy to carry him, but he just can't be trusted on his own yet.

[roo1582]

We've been working with her on stopping and looking both ways for cars. So we always do that and she will mostly hold my hand now, especially if she sees cars moving around. She used to really fight us more before we started doing that with her. The only place she still tends to fight me is at daycare. I usually try to park in the one spot that doesn't require her to cross the driveway where cars may be pulling out. If I can't do that, I sometimes just let her walk with me, but she has to be right at my side and walk with me. It also helps that I pick her up kind of earlier, so there are rarely other cars in the lot at that point.

[bantyrooster]

I will also say he knows to/ I make him stand between me and the car and have his hands on the tire while I get Ellison out. I am a tad anal.

[lizwinderson]

This is a constant struggle for us but I'm not about to let him walk around freely. I either hold his wrist or hold the back of his shirt.

[sarahandeddie]

I give Avery two options. She can either hold my hand or I will carry her. She is big on wanting to walk so she rarely fusses about it. DD#1 is another story. She's 4 but thinks she 14 and way to cool to hold my hand (I still make her).

[sarahandeddie]

Mar 20, 2015 13:47:14 GMT -5 somethingcleverer said:

And aubrey has also decided she wants to walk in the store. She's much too grown up for carts.

Avery has been asking to walk too. I do not have time for her to walk with me. Most times I make DD#1 ride in the cart if I can find a double. Who has time for tiny legs when you're trying to grocery shop?

[mommymadness]

B is pretty good for holding hands but once last summer when I was hugely preggo still he decided to do the whole drop to the ground if I tried holding his hand. I picked him up. When we got to the car he was still a bit mad and when I set him down to dig for my keys he slowly walked towards the front of the car. I wasn't too worried. We were in a small lot and there was a middle area with shrubs infront of the car. So anyway Lon story short: some man came over and was lecturing me how to teach him to stand beside the car!!! It was ridiculous and he went on forever as if he was holier then thou. I was way to nice and didn't say anything. I just continued putting b in his car seat and he got the hint and left bit seriously wtf man!

[nesenotes]

Mar 20, 2015 13:41:58 GMT -5 mrsrek10 said:

My kid won't walk in a parking lot. He wants to be carried so the "cars not squish me like a bug, momma". So, my child has a fear of waking "where cars go". Which is fine with me...most of the time....sometimes just holding his hand would be nice.

Buahahaha I actually tell emery she needs to hold my hand she'll get squished and need a very big band-aid (she hates bandaid because they are associated with pain). So she has to hold my hand or sit in the cart. Worst case I'll hold her but if I have to go there she's getting punished.

[samelly]

Not specifically with parking lots, but we have this issue with walking on a busy streets.  We live in an inner city neighbourhood and on a busy street.  Her dayhome is a two minute walk from our house and we have to cross a busy street.  Since the weather has been warming up, she keeps running away from me the second we get out of the house.  She doesn't want to hold my hand and she doesn't stop on her own to look for cars.  I end up chasing her and grabbing her clothes and some days there are tantrums on the way home.

We are moving soon, and I'll have to start picking her up in the car - so maybe that will just make life easier, lol.

[laurski81]

Mar 20, 2015 13:47:14 GMT -5 somethingcleverer said:

And aubrey has also decided she wants to walk in the store. She's much too grown up for carts.

Yeah...this is Henry unless he gets a bribe.  So Henry usually has a lollipop (at the grocery store) or popcorn (if we are at Target). I'm not proud of it but it's better then the alternative and stress for me.

[laurski81]

Surprisingly Henry is really good about parking lots. Go figure. He is really aware of cars and is always telling me to be careful. He is good about holding my hand and staying close. If he is in a bad mood however he will demand that I carry him and I will if there are no carts nearby.