"He's a Handful!"

I was doing my weekly (more like daily) grocery shopping the other day, and I had an interesting conversation with one of the cashiers. I've been taking Camden to this store with me since he was a baby. I'm in there quite a bit because I can't seem to get everything I need in one trip. I'm a forgetful person. Most of the employees there have seen Camden grow up over the past 3 years. I was at the store alone and this particular cashier happened to notice that.


Cashier:  "Where is your youngest today?"
Me:   "He goes to preschool in the mornings now."
Cashier:  "Oh, that's nice. That gives you a break."
Me:  "Yea, it's always nice when you can go grocery shopping alone."
Cashier:  "But it's different for you. I'm so happy he's in school now so you can get a break."
Me:  "I think every mom enjoys a little time to herself."  (At this point I'm trying to end the conversation.)
Cashier:  "He's a handful, though. It's a lot of work for you. Those kids with special needs are a handful."
Me:  I'm just staring at her at this point.
Cashier:  "Is he in the special education preschool program at school?"
Me:  "Yep. He'll go there from 3-5 years old."
Cashier:  "Oh, that's great! He needs to go there. There's NO way he could go to school with regular kids. He can't keep up with them. He needs to be in special education until he graduates. They have that, you know."
Me:   "Well, I don't know what the future holds, but I hope he can go to school with his typical peers.




Then the conversation ended. I think she looked at me like I had two heads growing out of my body. She kept repeating how much of a handful Camden was. I was confused at this the most because Camden is one of the most well behaved toddlers in the store. He just sits in the basket like he's supposed to, smiles, and goes with the flow. He's always been like that. I have actually received comments from other cashiers about how well he acts. I guess she was just under the assumption that he's a handful because he has special needs.


Once he's home though, it's a different story! The boy is more than a handful!