“No!” Leah shouted. “Despite what you might think, I’m not a baby!” Tina crossed her arms.
“You’re definitely acting like one.”
“Only because you’re treating me like one!” Leah began to squirm in her seat, clearly trying to get out. “I can walk!”
“Yes, but you have small legs, so you walk much slower.”
“So?”
“If we have to go at your pace, we’ll be here for a while. Not to mention, you might have to stop to catch your breath,” Tina pointed out. She buckled the strap of the seat. Leah immediately unbuckled it.
“Tina, set me down! I refuse to ride in the baby seat!”
“No.”
“You can’t just-” Leah was at a loss for words. She began to kick angrily, squirming constantly. Desperate to calm her stepdaughter down, Tina dug around in her purse. She pulled out a pacifier and popped it into Leah’s mouth. Leah’s eyes boggled, but she instinctively suckled on the pacifier.
“There. Now, you can’t just throw a tantrum like that in the store,” Tina said patiently. She pushed the cart towards the baby and toddler section. “If you’re going to act like a baby, you’re going to be treated like one.” She walked down the aisle, inspecting the items for sale, trying to decide what the best item would be for Leah’s punishment.