Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Can't Shop, Scary Giant Might Get Me

I think I'm living in a children's book or something.

When we go to Trader Joe's, Arthur becomes increasingly anxious as we go down the frozen foods isle toward the milk. The reason? There's a blackboard across from the sorbet with a scary looking giant selling stuff on it. It's gotten worse the last few visits, and this time in the frozen food isle -- after imploring me to go pay for the groceries (so the cart would turn around and we would leave the store) -- the blackboard giant reduced Arthur to tears. I tried to ask him why the giant was scary and that didn't help.

It seems to be getting worse and I think the area of the giant's influence is getting larger and larger; going into the adjacent isles provokes anxiety, and I'm wondering if a day will come when I won't be able to take him into the store.

We glided by the manager's desk (at least I think it's the manager's desk) and I had Arthur tell them about the scary giant. Three grown-ups telling him that the giant was friendly and trying to sell him frozen foods wasn't enough to change his opinion of the 2D gargantuan: "Giant. Don't like it. Scary."

Thoughts? Do I get him a golden harp, a chicken, or a sharp axe? I'd bring paper rabbit ears to tape onto the giant's head, except, -- now that I think of it -- Arthur was traumatized by the "scary bunny" at Valley River Center last Easter.

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