So I was at Target on Tuesday running some errands when I had this moral/social dillema. The woman at the checkout in front of me was busy applying for a Target credit card, so she was distracted from watching her two girls (probably about a four-year old and a seven-year old). She had bought each of them a piece of candy. I watched as the four-year old intentionally dropped her candy wrapper on the floor, trying to do it in a way that no one would notice. Remember that mom is busy and oblivious to what is going on behind her. As it dropped from her hand, she and I made eye contact. She knew that I had just watched her purposely drop her trash on the floor. She hesitated, holding my gaze. I think she was trying to decide if she should leave it or pick it up and pretend like she had dropped it. She left it.
So, what do I do?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Tough question, but worth considering for "another time." I have two thoughts. One would be to say something like, "Do you think the floor is the best place for that wrapper?" trying to get her to problem-solve and come up with an alternative. The other might be to pick it up, hand it to her, and say,"You must have dropped this." Both of these would be easier to do if the mother was not within earshot.
Post a Comment