I’ve only recently started using Facebook so when they ask me “What’s on my mind?” I feel inclined to tell them.

Yesterday I accompanied my daughter and my granddaughter, age 18 months, to the local grocery store. Well, maybe not what most folks consider local since out here the term “local” means about 35 miles away. The toddler was safely seated in the front of the pushcart

Anyway, as we were making our way through the aisles all was going smoothly but as we neared the checkout line things began to change.

It’s funny how the checkout line at most grocery stores keep their most colorful trinkets, doodads and gewgaws right at arm’s length for a child to stretch out their little arms and indicate that they want one of those. If their request is not forthcoming, you can bet that in most instances the whining will begin and things can quickly escalate to a full-blown temper tantrum. After all, what kid likes to be told no?

Well, that’s exactly what started to happen but I think my daughter has probably been around the block a few times and in an almost nonchalant matter glanced over her shoulder to nearby aisle picked up something nice and pink and fluffy.

At first I thought it might have been a stuffed animal or something along those lines but my ears were shocked when I heard these words come out of her mouth.

“Here, have a loofah.”

With that she lobbed it right into her daughter’s lap ala a Michael Jordan jump shot and there were smiles all around.

Well, that not only calmed what might have been an impending storm but it also made me crack up laughing.

I don’t know why. I’ve probably seen a similar encounter countless times during both during my time as a parent and just as a casual observer but somehow this seemed to resonate with me.

Maybe it’s the simple ingenuity that a parent shows that can deflect what might have been an uncomfortable situation into something that becomes a normal everyday occurrence. Maybe it’s because I don’t hear the word “loofah” tossed around that often in everyday conversation or maybe it’s just a combination of both.

I do know this though, if I was a customer who happened to be next in line, I’d tip my cap to the mom who saw the storm coming and rather than let it run its course, did something about it.

As for the loofah itself, it got left behind at the checkout counter.

A job well done.

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