Facing the following moral dilemma, what would you do?
Say you are leaving Target, having successfully completed a pretty sizable shopping trip by yourself with both of your boys for the first time. You get out to the car, unload the purchases, buckle both boys into their carseats and go to return the cart. As you approach the cart you realize that two items were accidently left in the basket, and did not get paid for. You look back to the boys, think how close it is to nap time and how you are already pushing the limits. Then you look to the items, take into account that the total of the items is probably $4. Do you:
1) Pretend like you do not see the items, leave them in the basket and hope the next person that finds them will return them inside.
2) Decide that the $4 pales in comparison to what you already spent and what you continue to spend at this establishment and just place the items in your bag. As consolation you think maybe your husband could return them later.
3) Load both boys back into the cart, grab the items, your wallet, and a fake smile and go inside to pay for them.
Based on the fact that I am telling this story, I suppose you can guess which road I took. Let me tell you, though, it was a dilemma and I did not take the high-road joyfully. When I looked at KJ in the backseat of my car, though, I just couldn’t feel good about handling it any other way. I explained it to him on the way inside (as if he could understand), telling him how we have to do the right thing even when it is not convenient. I think the only line that stuck with him was, “Ah nuts, Mommy messed up and we have to go back inside”. Now he’s been saying over and over “nuts, side”. Ah well.
I did buy myself some gum to make the trip worthwhile!
ABL
Ha! How ironic that my friend and I were just having a conversation about this very topic. I think it’s safe to say that this has happened to most moms at least once. It happened to me the other day when I got out without paying for an $8 pack of watch batteries. That time I went back in and paid for them- It happened again the other day with something that was about $1…I stole it. Still feeling a little guilty…
hey friend! Your babies are beautiful! Congrats a little late. on the target run, I have done the same thing and chose the same road. I had the verse, “He who is faithful in little is faithful in much”… I want to please the Lord in big and small even when it is hard. You go girl! Love you! M
Good job, I’m proud of you. 🙂 Amazingly, this has only happened to me once (that i know of). But it was in a mall, and Makayla had just grabbed something off the shelf, so all I had to do was turn the stroller around and take it back. Not quite the same situation, BUT it happened to be an item that I really wanted, and I still did the right thing and took it back. 🙂