Meet George:
And they say money can't buy happiness, clearly "they" have never been to Build-A-Bear.
It all started with many promises to Ava that if she was a cooperative participant in the shoe buying process we would in turn take her to "play with her friends" which meant that she would be able to go to the kid-crazy play place at the mall. She was dying to go there so every time she started to become a bit naughty or annoying I could wrangle her back in with the threat of canceling her plans "you do want to play with your friends, right???" Then try on these shoes!!! My manipulation was working wonders.
With a darling new pair of shoes on her feet (thanks Grandma!) we ran off to fulfill our part of the bargain.
When we approached the play area the security guard was coaxing all the children out and dragging the sign out in front that says "CLOSED FOR CLEANING".
Perfect.
Ava was absolutely devastated. So was I. I hate promising her things and not being able to follow through. Oh well, such is life. The security guard gave her a sticker and she smiled at him through her tears. I shuffled her into the nearest place that looked appealing to kids and it happened to be Build-A-Bear.
I have never actually experienced this place myself but I do have many preconceived notions about how crazy overpriced it is.
So we watched other kids get bears and the whole thing looked pretty cool. When I noticed that they actually had a bear for $10 I was totally sold. Ava got to pick out the color of her bear, help them fill it with stuffing, put a heart in it and watch them hand stitch it up. She even got to give him a "bath" and register him with a birth certificate. She also got to pick out ribbons to put around his neck and ears and he came with a little bear house that he can live in. Not bad for ten bucks. Meet George, Ava's new love and my answer to guilt-driven parenting:
It all started with many promises to Ava that if she was a cooperative participant in the shoe buying process we would in turn take her to "play with her friends" which meant that she would be able to go to the kid-crazy play place at the mall. She was dying to go there so every time she started to become a bit naughty or annoying I could wrangle her back in with the threat of canceling her plans "you do want to play with your friends, right???" Then try on these shoes!!! My manipulation was working wonders.
With a darling new pair of shoes on her feet (thanks Grandma!) we ran off to fulfill our part of the bargain.
When we approached the play area the security guard was coaxing all the children out and dragging the sign out in front that says "CLOSED FOR CLEANING".
Perfect.
Ava was absolutely devastated. So was I. I hate promising her things and not being able to follow through. Oh well, such is life. The security guard gave her a sticker and she smiled at him through her tears. I shuffled her into the nearest place that looked appealing to kids and it happened to be Build-A-Bear.
I have never actually experienced this place myself but I do have many preconceived notions about how crazy overpriced it is.
So we watched other kids get bears and the whole thing looked pretty cool. When I noticed that they actually had a bear for $10 I was totally sold. Ava got to pick out the color of her bear, help them fill it with stuffing, put a heart in it and watch them hand stitch it up. She even got to give him a "bath" and register him with a birth certificate. She also got to pick out ribbons to put around his neck and ears and he came with a little bear house that he can live in. Not bad for ten bucks. Meet George, Ava's new love and my answer to guilt-driven parenting:
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