Dear Dáithí: When did grocery shopping become a family outing? 

'I’d imagine the parents would prefer to be anywhere else except doing the shopping and being driven cracked by their own children.' 

Dear Dáithí,
Why do some parents insist on bringing their children grocery shopping? I’m not talking about a mum or dad on their own bringing their kids, I’m talking about the ones who seem to make a family outing out of picking up the weekly food shop.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen an increasing volume of stressed-out-looking parents trying to placate toddlers in trolleys and negotiate treats at the checkout. I’ve witnessed teens storming off in a huff after, I can only assume, being refused some high-sugar food, and smallies having full-on meltdowns on the ground with embarrassed-looking parents trying to calm them.