The Claw Lady!!!

You know those machines that have the big claws that you use to try to win a toy?  You know, the ones that eat quarters like a stressed out mom eats chocolate?  Well, I, for one, hate those things.  Every time I go somewhere where they have one of those, my kids are drawn to them like flies to, uh, left out food.  I have told them over and over that they are just a scam and a big waste of money.  I think they actually started to believe me.

Then a few weeks ago my son Baber was at the bowling alley the day after his birthday.  He had the quarter with him that his grandma had taped to his present.  In went the quarter to the claw machine.  Out came a very cute, but cheap toy frog.

Okay, so now I'm a liar.  I had told him that you can never win those toys.  I had to restate that, yes, you CAN win SOMETIMES, but it is about as rare as one of my kids picking up their mess after being told only six or seven times.  I mean, it really just about never, ever happens.

So, fast forward to today.  I took the kids to the store and was at the register paying the bill.  The kind people at the store had the foresight to put one of those claw machines right across from the register.  My two youngest, Baber, who now thinks he has some serious clawing skills, and Bear who is also a believer.  Well, I'm watching then out of the corner of my eye when I see this nice older lady workin' the claw.  She drops in the quarter.  Grabs a toy.  Then gives the toy to my son.  Okay.  Now I'm REALLY a liar.  But wait, there's more!  She could hardly give a toy to one kid and not the other, right?  So in goes another quarter, and wouldn't ya know it?  Another toy!  So she gives it to my daughter!  And if that weren't enough she gave them a dollar so that they could each try twice.  Okay, well thankfully they didn't win.

When I got done at the register I walked over and talked to the lady and "thanked her" for the toys.  (I put that in quotes as I can't honestly say I am thankful for two more stuffed animals around here.)  She then proceeded to tell me that she was totally into the claw game and would win them throughout the year to give out to kids on Halloween.  She loves the claw so much that she even had a mini-claw game at home!

So now what is a mother to do?  I have been outed as a liar as now my kids are just SURE that all it takes is a quarter or two to get a toy.  I am going to have to avoid those claw machines like the plague.  But like those little guys in Toy Story, I think the claw has come to get me.  I have been chosen.

Just hope I don't become...The Claw Lady!!!