Public Display of Discipline

After work today I had to run to Wal Mart after work to get some essentials. For us that would be bananas, cheese and milk.  Also Byron needed some more plastic pants, because he's just finally getting potty trained away from home.  (As long as he's naked he's potty trained, but that doesn't work so well outside of the home.) Anyway, Byron was in a very good mood, and he asked to walk next to the cart instead of riding like usual.  Since he was being good I obliged.  As we walked through the front doors he saw the coin operated games and rides to the left and made a bee-line.  Of course I told him no, and that we had to hurry and get our groceries.  Well, as you can imagine, a melt-down of epic proportions ensued. He was inconsolable.  So I decided to find a spot for a time out.  Right in front the pharmacy is some benches, and I plopped him down, stepped a few feet away and turned to the side.  The kid is just screaming bloody murder and freaking out.  Every person that walks by or is standing near me is staring.  Then this lady walks up to him and says "are you lost?"  I was like "he's just in a time out.  He's fine."  She goes "well public isn't the best place for a time out. You might want to think about that next time."

Okay people what the heck?!  If you don't punish your kids in public you're a bad parent? If you do you're a bad parent?  Make up your minds.  I almost asked her if I should just spank him right there in the store and have CPS swoop in on me like a plague of locusts.  They have so many cameras in Wal Mart they could get it from every angle and plaster it all over the news.  I can see the headline now,"WORLD'S WORST MOM SPANKS SON IN WAL MART!"  Although the bad publicity worked out for the Octomom and Kate Gosslin, so maybe I could ride that to fame and fortune.