The author lets her kids check out at the supermarket. Courtesy of the author I let my kids take over the grocery self-checkout. What started as chaos turned into teamwork and independence. Grocery shopping became a way to teach practical life skills. I have always loved grocery shopping with my kids. From the time they were babies and toddlers, I loved putting them in the cart and chatting about what I was buying. It always feels a bit chaotic, but it's always been one of my favorite things t