<p>Nothing says “holiday cheer” like these images:</p>
<p>[The</a> Dark Side of Holiday Shopping](<a href=“Miserable Men of Instagram Photos Show Dark Side of Holiday Shopping”>Miserable Men of Instagram Photos Show Dark Side of Holiday Shopping)</p>
<p>Is your significant other into shopping or anti-shopping? :)</p>
<p>LOL.</p>
<p>Both I and my SO are anti-shopping. I probably looked like those guys on Black Friday. He usually goes BF shopping, too, but this year he had to work all day 
My dad really doesn’t mind but is terrible at it.
We’d be lost without my mom. All of us.</p>
<p>When the holidays prompt us to count our blessings, perhaps we should start with Amazon.</p>
<p>I never get why couples with small children go out shopping together. My H was almost never home when the kids were little, but when at all possible, I considered it a huge blessing to leave the kids with him and get the shopping done (which I’m not a huge fan of, anyway), by myself.</p>
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<p>Because the mom is breastfeeding the youngest?</p>
<p>For those who don’t pump milk, having Dad come along to help may be easier than having to time the shopping trip so that Mom will be back in time for the baby’s next feeding.</p>
<p>Yea… when D1 and H thought I was napping on the couch a couple of days ago, they held a whispered conversation… on the same couch! As of yesterday, H has not gotten anything for me, which is his MO. He will go out today with D2 and she will help him - thankfully I gave her some hints last night!</p>
<p>Look at those poor guys. A couple of weeks ago there was news about a man who committed suicide because he was fed up with his girlfriends shopping. [Chinese</a> boyfriend jumped to his death after girlfriend insisted on going into another clothes shop | Mail Online](<a href=“Chinese boyfriend jumped to his death after girlfriend insisted on going into another clothes shop | Daily Mail Online”>Chinese boyfriend jumped to his death after girlfriend insisted on going into another clothes shop | Daily Mail Online)</p>
<p>My H and I used to love going to estate sales and flea markets to make our new home more lived in. We havent done it for a while because we have enough junk accumulated and decided to edit out things in the house. We like to go shopping together. Its only the lines and crowds that bother us so we try to do it when we have Friday off.</p>
<p>Marian–obviously that could be the case with small babies, though I doubt it’s the usual reason. I see families with cranky kids at the grocery store, mall, etc, and I would say most of the time, they are not breast-feeding age, or old enough that feedings would not be timed that close (2+). </p>
<p>It would never have occurred to me to lug baby and dad along rather than time feedings and shopping trips–just too much stress to add to everyone. (not to mention, getting out alone for an hour or two was a nice vacation.)</p>
<p>I shopped exclusively online this year. My digital footprint continues to grow but zero drives to the mall. It’s less stressful, more time effective, less expensive (better deals usually and no food court or Starbucks). The UPS man and I are on a first name basis. DH and I never shopped with the kids but that had more to do with our family personally. We had three kids in four years so we were on zone defense very early. I often took one grocery shopping, which was easy to handle and made it easier for him at home with only two. The mall during busy times wasn’t something I subjected him or the kids to. </p>
<p>DH just confessed he bought me something but can’t remember where he put it. We don’t normally exchange Christmas gifts so I actually think this is pretty funny. I’m trying not to laugh because I know he’s frustrated.</p>
<p>I’d give these men a gold star for going along and putting up. Somehow I have tended to be involved with men who like shopping. But I’d never drag someone along when shopping for myself. </p>
<p>When the ex and I had young kids, we always took them shopping, usually alone. The treat was being home alone, sans kids!!! Kids were good sports, and learned to appreciate the grocery store, the hardware stores, at a young age, and being stuck home too much made them cranky. </p>
<p>At one point I was admonished in the grocery store for hauling my twins along. If the ex was willing to give me rare free time, shopping was the last thing I wanted to do when left to my own devices.</p>
<p>When I shop with others, we all agree to be quick and efficient. Longer trips tend to be solo or ones where all involved agree to a longer foray and plan accordingly. If there is a handy place to sit and coverage with Sprint for iPhone data, we can stretch out the time a tad.</p>
<p>These are all SO me. H is much more willing to trudge into stores. Very thankful for Amazon.</p>
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<p>Not being able to afford or having a babysitter available during the shopping trip in question, to socialize young children in learning how to shop and interact appropriately with everyone in the store, to not isolate young children in the house or in environments with kids around their age, etc.</p>
<p>Mine managed to socialize just fine without being dragged around the mall. We actually found ways to socialize that revolved around people.</p>
<p>^ I’m with garland. When my kids were young I avoided taking them to the mall whenever possible. If H or I shopped , the other one took the kids to the park, the pool, etc. or just stayed home with them. I have seen too many miserable, tired, overstimulated kids crying at the mall.</p>
<p>I don’t judge people who take their kids shopping. Especially in the winter it can be nice to get out of the house. Also I don’t know why anyone would assume that a couple who “drags” their kids to the grocery store or Target hasn’t also made another stop at a more fun place, like the park or the Y or whatever. Sometimes it isn’t practical to make one-off trips everywhere.</p>
<p>If trips are kept relatively short and everyone is reasonable rested and no one is hungry, there is no reason that short shopping trips should be awful for anyone. Longer ones should be only by willing folks and only last as long as there is mutual consent. Beyond that, it is NOT pleasant and it might be best to “hunt” alone. </p>
<p>When I am seriously shopping and looking for things that I will buy, I generally prefer to set aside a half or full day and go alone (after often scouting out ads and on-line stores first). With others, I mostly browse or am there for a specific, short errand. I find it tough to concentrate on budget and person(s) I am shopping for when I am with others; it becomes more of a social outing than serious shopping.</p>
<p>Sally et al–obviously I was alluding to the cranky, over-tired families as in pictures or my own observations.</p>
<p>And I wasn’t “judging” them, rather than wondering why they put themselves through what looks to be an unpleasant experience. Sheesh.</p>
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Many years ago, DS (in high school then) went shopping with his mother at a mall. They accidentally ran into his then-gf and her mother who were shopping there also.</p>
<p>The girl’s mother could not resist asking DS: “Do you not mind going shopping with your mother like this?” DS replied: “Not at all.” Her mother looked at DS as if he had 3 heads.</p>
<p>To be sure, I do not think he himself enjoys shopping at all, except for the music CD sections at B&N bookstore or some music store. He just thinks his mother may need some company so he tags along when he’s bored at home. He is usually not interested in taking any look at any products in the store at all.</p>
<p>I guess that, without a D in our family, he is supposed to serve the role of a D occasionally.</p>
<p>He also once prepared some simple breakfast for his current (soon to be ex?) GF (who had not gone to sleep yet that night) when he woke up and got ready to go to “work/training”, in the common living/kitchenette area in the dorm.</p>
<p>Around the Thanksgiving time, just because he had a car then but many of his female classmates did not have it, he drove them to the mall and they made him stay there for 7 hours even though he himself bought very little stuff (which could be done in less than 20 minutes - how much time do you need to buy $10 chocolate?!) I wonder how much time he followed those girls around seeing them shopping and how much time he sat on a chair alone, just waiting till they completed their shopping.</p>
<p>Many people around him said he’s a “nice guy” (as one being put in friendzone? LOL.)</p>
<p>sally, I wasn’t "judging " folks who take the kids to the grocery store or Target, I was talking about dragging young kids through the mall for hours. And I was responding to a post that referred to malls as being a good place for kids to learn social skills. </p>
<p>FWIW, I worked full time when D was small and back in the day before internet shopping, I did most of my "mall type " shopping from catalogues. But, yes I did take the kids grocery shopping, out of necessity.</p>