Selling Humor, Real-Life Parenting Angst, on eBay

Certainly you’ve found this eBay listing for a couple dozen new Pokemon cards somewhere in your Inbox over the last couple of weeks. I’ve received two copies of the listing, in which Dawn Meehan, a harried Illinois mom of six, was not only selling Pokemon cards, but went on at great length explaining why she was selling them (her kids snuck them into the grocery shopping cart), and what happened during that particular, ill-fated shopping trip.

Anyone who’s had to contend with grocery shopping with multiple small, whiny children will certainly relate to Meehan's story. An excerpt from her eBay listing:

You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store. Because I absolutely detest grocery hopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer.

Now the media are starting to pick up the story. The St. Petersburg Times recently did a feature story all about her eBay listing and included the text of her now-famous eBay post. And the Chicago Tribune also ran a story about the mom with a sense of humor. If you want to read more from Meehan, she writes a blog called, Because I Said So.

So, what are the odds that another Meehan child slips an unapproved item into the shopping cart again? I'd say 50-50.

(Image from the Chicago Tribune.)