Doing something right

I was shopping with Rachel in Waitrose recently and as I was putting the food through the checkout Rachel asked,

“Please may I have a banana Mummy?”

The girl at the till remarked, “That is the politest child I have ever been witness to...and she eats fruit!”

I was just about to jump in with the ‘don’t let her fool you, looks can be deceiving, normally she is a right little.....’ when I thought, no, don’t do that, accept the compliment graciously, pretend it is true, feel a little smug about your perfectly mannered daughter, glow with pride, and get out of there quick before Rachel has the chance to blow a raspberry at her.

It is very warming when people compliment your children, particularly if it is about their behaviour, if they’ve been noticeably good. It means more than, ‘what pretty hair’ or ‘what long legs’, though this is nice too.

What people usually say about Rachel, within about 5 minutes of meeting her is, 

“Oooh, she’s a character!” This comment can be taken either way, and one does wonder sometimes what exactly is meant by it. However, most things said by strangers can only be taken positively, as it means something has made them stand out from the crowd to make them worthy of comment. As trying as our children can be at times, we all want them to have a bit of spark or personality about them, and it is lovely when it is not only noticeable to us.

Later that same day, I met my Mum who was off to do her shopping at Waitrose. She offered to take Rachel with her.

“No thanks, I said quickly, “Rachel has got a really good reputation in there now, I don’t want her to go and spoil it.”

I’ve been shopping in Sainsbury’s ever since.