The force is strong in this one.

Now I understand how parents end up pimping their kids out to be in commercials. Having a cute kid with you is almost as good for "greasing the wheels" as palming someone a twenty dollar bill. Especially if said kid has mysterious Jedi-like powers of persuasion, like J apparently does. Yesterday we were at Fresh and Easy, my new All-Time Favorite Grocery Store, and there was this older lady who kept staring at J while we were in the bakery aisle. To his credit, J was being unusually chipper for an After Daycare shopping trip, pointing at things and exclaiming in a very cute I'm-So-Young-Everything-Amazes-Me voice: "Lookit all those cakes, Mommy! It's a birfday!" or "Mmm-mmm I love all this store!". Of course this was followed up by whining about wanting cookies and me hissing at him to drop it about the cookies already, we have cookies at home!! When I looked up from our little argument the lady was gone...or so I thought. After we checked out, she appeared out of nowhere and handed me a small box of the cookies he'd wanted. Then she proceeded to tell me, "He is the most precious thing I've ever seen. I mean, he's really special." (I know you're not believing me at this point, but I swear that's what she said word for word).

On the one hand, the whole exchange was a bit...creepy. On the other hand, I was oddly flattered by her compliment--as if somehow I'm responsible for J's cuteness or specialness or whatever. I'm not really a fan of putting little kids in the spotlight, so it's not like I'm going to run out and hire a talent agent. However...if I can find a way to use J's powers for good (like getting a good table at a restaurant or friendlier service at the DMV), then I'm all for it!

Is that bad?