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Spring Break Family Style

© Cindy Ovard

We ventured to Arizona for Spring Break this year to visit my sister and her family. The kids were excited to get away to a little warmer climate and be free of school studies.

Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona is in most cases a charming and quaint little area to visit offering free trolley rides stopping every ten minutes at different locations throughout downtown. Charming I say unless you happen to get accosted by a mean old store owner who finds that your family doesn't fit his idea of a what a Scottsdale shopper should be.

With an array of toys to see and many colorful plants and flowers my son was wide eyed as he watched the water trickle from a spout that seemed to have no hose offering it any water, truly magical indeed. We stood and watched it as we talked and tried to figure out how it could possibly work. My son touched the smooth, shiny stones in the display cart as he felt the polished rocks run between his fingers. Awe, the simple pleasures of a child. He saw a wiggle worm wooden pen that danced as you touched it to paper. My daughter was in utter amazement at the amount of Beanie Babies offered on the wall unit holding dozens of different styles, shapes and sizes. All of this wonderful family enrichment came to a screeching halt as the store owner verbally roared his disapproval as my son touched the wiggle pen. I was in total shock at the mental attitude this man showed to children. Was this a "no children allowed store?" I ventured out to see if there might be a sign on the window that I had missed. No! No sign was displayed saying "No children". Then what was this attitude towards a small child who touched a pen and polished rocks? Was there not a display of metal cars for children to view (at their child size height no less) and weren't the wiggle pens made to be touched to see how they worked?

Please understand, my children are well behaved wherever we go. I do not allow them to run through the stores grabbing and throwing things. This was why I was in amazement that this mean old man would find my children offensive. I responded in wonderment and asked why? He then began in on me and how I'm a terrible mother. Oops, back up buddy, wrong thing to say to any mother, especially a mother who writes for a living. Well, needless to say we promptly left that store* and his co-owning store** two doors down for the brighter lights of the Scottsdale Mall, which we found while riding the "FREE" Trolley.

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