Confession time: it’s not easy for me to get both kids dressed, pack a diaper bag with a morning’s worth of gear and arrive somewhere on time. I’ve totally come to accept that I am not one of those put together moms who is on top of everything. Just not me. But, I do try to get out and about to keep Toddler Boy active and socializing with other kids. So, imagine how annoyed I feel when I do actually get us somewhere with the sole purpose of him having fun and he acts like a total pain in the arse.
Exhibit A: Story time at the library last week. What kid doesn’t enjoy a good story being told by a sweet old lady, right? Well, that would be mine. He had a meltdown of epic proportions because I actually forced him to share the big “Embery” (aka Emily) train at the library train table. I gave him a couple warnings to get his act together and stop trying to sabotage the train play of other children or we were going to leave. That didn’t work and we had to leave. Oh dear lord, the tantrum that ensued was so.freaking.embarrassing. (And, note to the library workers who I know were only trying to help, but seriously? Do not try to please my child by offering him a juice box as he’s kicking and screaming on the floor like a maniac. We do not encourage that behavior, m’kay?)
Exhibit B: Toddler aerobics at the Y this morning. It’s a fun half hour for toddlers to dance, jump on mats and act silly. It’s all fun and games until a little girl has the audacity to try and go through the tunnel after Toddler Boy. Oy. He lost it. I took him aside to try and calm him and understand and, gasp, rationalize with him about the reality of sharing the Y’s equipment. As soon as he was calm he would run off to play only to lose it a few minutes later. At least we lasted until the end of the class today.
Where did my sweet boy go? Toddler Boy can be the most kind, compassionate, loving little boy you’ve ever met. And, until recently he was very well behaved and I was always so proud of him when we played with other children. But this recent behavior? No fun for either of us. And, we live in a small town and see the same moms and kids over and over again. I’d hate to think of my kid as that kid – the one who is spoiled, always crying and poorly behaved. He deserves (and is) better than that reputation.
So, what should I do? Should I just hibernate until the storm passes and my nice kid returns? Should I power through and proudly take my temper-tantrum-prone Toddler on the town? What do you do?
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