Power Lunch

I'm the parent that takes my child to Target, lets him play with the display of hairdryers for half an hour, then goes to the dining area to eat the cheese sandwich I brought from home. I know, I'm not helping the economy. In my defense, Target does not sell cheddar cheese sandwiches on struan bread with fig jam, which is going to be better than anything they have to offer-except perhaps the giant Icee drinks flavoured like Jolly Rancher candy.

Anyway, this photograph tickled me because I can imagine him looking exactly like this when he's forty.

The store was nearly empty on a Sunday afternoon (not a good sign) and to be honest, the prices kind of stunk. I was hoping for reduced price Valentine's candy, but two dollars for a bag of Hershey's Kisses isn't my idea of a sale. I did get to watch a jerk on a cell phone block the toothpaste aisle while his child on the other end responded to his choices of characters on toothbrushes. I guess he needed to get approval first, which would have been fine if he didn't glower at everyone else standing and waiting to get past him. In what was an almost comic gesture, he flashed us an angry, frustrated look that suggested we were failing to understand the importance of his toothbrush selecting.

"Hey, Mama? What time do we need to get back to the office...er...home?"

So, what do you do for cheap entertainment with the kids?