Things don't always go according to plan

Disciplining my child for shoplifting from Waterstones this week was not what I had in mind when I took some biscuit samples in. More about that later ...

As I took some shots with my new camera whilst my daughter delighted in dragging her fingers through the pools of icing sugar that were splotted across the work surface. Not the healthiest breakfast, but it was her birthday and what could be a more fun start to the day? It is hard work with them all being off school. I don’t like to plonk them in front of the television. They are all going to be creative. My son has decided he wants to be a photographer when he grows up. He has my old canon point and shoot he is taking his own shots of everything he eats. Daughter number one is trying to cook up her own creations using marmite, cocoa powder and rice crispies and my youngest, age 3, finds any opportunity to make her way upstairs to find my makeup, returning to the kitchen, looking like a drag queen in my YSL lippie and Chanel eye shadow. - They are driving me mad!

Thursday I took the Lavender shortbread to Waterstones in Market Harborough. I think they went down really well, certainly the staff seemed to enjoy them! It was all going according to plan .. the manageress was lovely and helped the children to choose two books each.

I think it does them good to have their noses in a book rather than the television. Of course they wanted almost every book on the shelf.. but we settled for two on the basis that we would come back for more in a week.

I was somewhat smug to have found and bought new reading books and a whole host of creative activities for the children to do. My children are going to be so much better for my efforts. ... As we walked back to the car, loaded with new paints, activity kits, jigsaws and packs of felt tips I suddenly noticed that one of my brood carrying three books. Not two. then it dawned on me .. My darling better child had stolen a book !

It was 5.25pm. I marched them back to the shop and made them return the book with an apology, and a good dose of humiliation ! It was really embarrassing!

When I got back to the car, which was in a private car park, at 5.32pm I discovered the car was locked in. A great big padlock and 8 foot gates separated us from the car. Boy was I mad. Had my little one not been stealing books then we would have been back in time. Said child got a second dressing down. I contemplated leaving the children on the pavement, climbing over and breaking the car out. ..... I pictured the scene and the inevitable police conversation, considering that I would no doubt be arrested .. and decided perhaps it was best just to call the police and see if they could help instead. As I phoned the station, another lady stood next to me, her car was behind the gates too. There was steam was coming out of my ears as I was explaining to an utterly disinterested police woman that there was no sign to say the gates were to be locked. As I was talking, the lady next to me took a closer look at the padlock ....and found it was not closed. Allehluia!

Was there a lesson to be learned here? Yes. Let the children watch TV.