Shopping with Susan

A couple of days ago I read a blog post over at It Coulda Been Worse about a shopping experience with a screaming child. Since reading that post I've been thinking about a cute story I once heard about a woman shopping with her unhappy child. Having just done my grocery shopping this morning, and witnessing other mothers with their children, I decided to post that story here for you to enjoy.

A man was in the store, picking up a few items for his wife, when he was startled by a piercing scream. Turning the corner he saw the source of the outburst - a young little girl who now sat pouting in the seat of the grocery cart. As the woman and child walked past, the man heard her say, "It's OK, Susan. I know I told you this was going to be a quick trip. We'll be finished here in about ten minutes and then we can go home." He noted the calm tone in her voice and was impressed by how kindly she spoke to her digruntled daughter.
When their paths crossed again two aisles later, the man witnessed the little girl kicking her legs and crying out, "But I waaaaant it!" Still the mother spoke softly, though he heard a slight quiver in her voice, and she said, "Just hang in there, Susan. We only have two aisles left before we're finished. If you can control yourself that long, I'll buy you a candy bar before we leave." Again, the man was impressed with the way this woman spoke to her daughter.
Seeing the two of them go through the check-out lane, the man simply stood and watched in wonder. The little girl was crying. She was yelling about wanting the fruity cereal. She was kicking her legs and flailing her arms about, trying to grab things off the rack. Yet the mother, with all the calm she could muster, stated evenly, "Susan, we'll be out of the store, in the car, and on our way back home in a matter of minutes. You can make it. Just take a deep breath and try to be calm."
As the mother and daughter left the store, the man grabbed his groceries and hurried to catch up with them. He reached them as the mother was putting the last bag in the trunk. "Excuse me, ma'am!" he said. "I couldn't help but notice you and your daughter back there in the store. Boy, she was having a rough time, but you were so calm as you talked to her. I just want to commend you and say I think Susan is a very lucky little girl."
"Oh, thank you," the mother replied with a smile. "Only, my daughter's name is Sally. I'm Susan." With that, she grabbed her candy bar, took a bite and waved farewell to the kind gentleman.