So who said shopping can't be a learning experience?

Yeah, what's with people criticising shopping, calling it 'retail therapy' and snickering when women declare 'we are going shopping'. Shopping can be a transformational, enlightening and err... strangely weird exercise... especially when you are shopping for someone you don't know at all. Even if it is a 5-year-old boy!
I mean in this day and age, even five-year-olds have a unique perspective on life. And no one who has had to convince your five-year-old to wear a particular dress will argue otherwise (oh, by the way, you cannot convince today's kindergarteners about anything!).

So there I was last evening, late for a birthday party and still hunting for a birthday present. This was Ditu's classmate's birthday, the first such invite, and understandably, I was a little nervous about going at all: didn't want to meet a lot of lah-di-dah women (while my daughter's school is great and offers wonderful child-oriented education, it also tends to attract the butterflies. Period.).
And now I had to find a birthday gift for one little boy whom I just knew as Abraham ('He's called Abu at home, Amma. Since we are going to his party, we can call him like that': gyaan from Ditu). At the kids' store, I did the only thing I knew: when in doubt, head to the books section. I was browsing through the books, when I felt a tug at my sleeve. And not even thinking, or rather thinking that Ditu wanted to pick something for herself, I said: "No!"
My very understanding child caught on to my mood, and said: "I don't want anything. I just think you should be looking at something like Ben10 or Chota Bheem. After all, Abraham is a boy!" Gender-based advice? From my daughter? All of nearly 5? I just stood there, all agape, and she continues: "I really don't know what he likes, but I always hear Georgie and Abraham discuss Ben10."
So Ben10 it was, but me being me, I couldn't get myself to get the action-oriented Ben10 toys; just bought a Ben10 colouring set, approved by Ditu of course. ("Yes, Abraham looooves painting class!") And me being me, I also stopped to look at a couple of little table-chair sets that I wanted to get for Ditu's room. And my little one pipes us with more gyaan: "Mumma, that's for me na... You have time till my birthday to get it. Or we can come back after Abraham's party to look at it some more." *Beatific smile*
Now if that wasn't a particularly enlightening shopping trip!

P.S. And hey, pardon me my prejudices: I had fun at the party too, with some of Ditu's classmate's moms. And I realised sometimes makeup is a mask in more ways than one, and sometimes women just hide behind it due to their insecurities. But that's a post for another day, and perhaps Ditu will have some insight into that as well.