In spite of that, a promise is a promise and when it comes to kids who have a eidetic memory like mine does, she will harp on it all day and not rest till it comes true. And if you should decide to eat your words, be prepared to be flooded by tears. So no, by hook or by crook, I didn't want to seem like a hypocrite in the eyes of my child.
Anyway, one thing I have yet to accustom to are the narrow lanes in our local supermarkets.I didn't realize this before I have kids, but now that I have two, I discovered it's much easier to knock things over than to look for things. Back in Sweden, the supermarket lanes were usually huge enough to contain not one, but two double prams. Here, I had difficulty even maneuvering a single one.
In addition, back then you usually get to lay your hands on a trolley that has a car for your kid to sit in and pretend to drive around. I swear I've seen them here in Singapore too but so far we haven't manage to use one because I guess the demand far exceeds the supply.Anyway, last night we were browsing around for stuff to buy and then I remembered we needed some toilet paper and thus with Ariel in my arms, I told Angel "Mummy is going to look for toilet paper, you stay here ok?"and assumed that she would be fine with Daddy around.
Before I could locate those mysterious rolls hidden among the CNY decorations, I heard loud wails and couldn't decipher it was a boy or girl but thought that he/she must have had a bad fall or knocked on something. The crying went on and something about it tugged at my heart.
I gave up searching and went back. To my astonishment, it was Angel who was crying so badly while in Daddy's arms. He said "She went after you but you didn't realize and walked away so fast. I was in the other lane and she couldn't see me. She thought she had lost Daddy and Mummy."
OMG. What was I even thinking? To not hold her hand and keep her close in supermarkets where there just might be a child kidnapper lurking around? How can I assume that Singapore and Karlskrona are the same and take our safety for granted? Why did I put her through a bad scare when it was supposed to be a happy outing?
I hugged her close and said "I'm sorry". I really was. Eventually she got over it and her tears stopped. With the help of some Tic-Tac.
To me, it was definitely a lesson learnt.
No more taking safety for granted. No more careless mistakes which might leave eternal regrets. No more walking off without you, Angel. No more scares of losing us. Or you.
Mummy promises to keep you close and keep you safe. And for all the promises I've made, this one will definitely be fulfilled.
