WPT Gone Wild

I messed up. Messed up something fierce. I thought I was being a good mom but nope. The whole day was just one mommy faux pas after another. In retrospect, it was like watching one of those bad action flicks where the hero just keeps screwing up.  Really, by now I should know better. 

Here’s how it went down:

11:30 Trip to a new park. I figured that was a good outing before lunch and it would give me a chance to scope out the local moms/nannies for the best toddler hang-outs in the new hood. Chance was slow to warm to the other kids but there was construction near by with a mini steam roller. (That’s the equivalent of truck heaven in his book.) Things were cool.

12:15 “OK, kiddo, we’re going to leave in a few minutes for lunch.” Chance utterly ignores me as he is now “playing” with other kids. (“Playing” meaning he finds the only older children in the toddler playground and has to be in their vicinity! Such a groupie for five-year-olds, that one.)

12:30 “All right, Chance it’s time to leave.” Utter.  Meltdown. Complete with lunging, shrieking, and back arching as I tried to get him into the car seat. Speeches of “I’m sorry you’re mad, but we’ll come back another time,” fall on deaf ears. Usually the acknowledgement of his fury will slow down the tantrum. This time, no dice. The other moms/nannies look at me with pity.

12:35 Almost… got… the seat…. latched! “Hey! Let’s pick up something new for lunch! Want to go for a ride?” More screams and laser eyes of death. 

12:40 Still tears and protests! This is beyond unusual. At this point it’s starting to sink into my brain that he must be really ready for lunch. Duh. Offerings of juice are only met with sobs between slurps. He finally quiets down as I arrive at the lunch place, get him out of the car, and walk into the shopfront. (Yes, the place required that we walk in. Yes, I know I’m stupid.)  I briefly consider sitting down for lunch at the place for faster food. Abandon idea.

12:45 Order and wait for food. Try to entertain Chance by looking at the pretty (but breakable) items in the shopfront. All admonishments of “look, don’t touch!” are met with willful and determined disobedience. Seriously, he was being a little hellion. Give silent thanks I decided not to eat at the restaurant. Take Chance outside shop for remainder of time.

12:55 - 1:00 Back in car and driving home. I feel pleased (stupid mommy) because I’ve timed it perfectly to have lunch and get Chance down for a nap sometime between 1:30 and 2:00, his usual time. I look back to see Chance’s head nodding in the car seat. Crap! Not so good timing. “Oh, no… Chance! Don’t fall asleep, honey. You haven’t had lunch!”

The idea of my child going to bed hungry fills me with guilt. Accelerate driving. “Wake up wake up wake up…”

1:05 I park, rush into the house and toss him onto the couch, all the while talking like a cheerleader on speed about the great lunch waiting for him. Take off his shoes. Chance stares at me blurrily then promptly starts to curl up on the couch for his nap. (He never does this.)  “No No No No!” I grab him again, run into the kitchen and prop my sleeping child up in his booster seat at the kitchen table. I arrange his “new” (brilliant fucking me) food as quickly as possible onto a plate and slap it in front of him. 

At the sight of grub he finally perks up enough to eat.

1:20 Lunch time is done. I transfer Chance immediately to his bedroom where, after the usual token protest cry, I figure he will collapse in sleep.

1:30 – 2:30 Chance plays in his crib.  And plays. And plays. He never falls asleep!  (At least he wasn’t screaming.)  Normally he takes a 2-3 hour nap at this time so we all get a break. I get him up but he was obviously tired and a bit of a brat the rest of the day. I, and my crappy timing, effectively screwed up his (and my) whole schedule. 

Bad mommy. Baaaaaad!

Lesson learned: LET THEM SLEEP! 

(Really, I should have had my parenting license revoked for violating this one. And it wasn’t even early morning - my usual WPT (worst parenting time).)

 - the weirdgirl

Hey kids! Can you find the other Mommy Mistakes wg made on this fateful day?  Just jot down your answers on a 4x6 card along with your name, age, and address and mail it to: What A Dork,  Anywhere, US, and YOU could be entered to win fabulous prizes!  Including a grand prize trip to Parenting Camp 101!  Enter now!

Comments

[Jennifer]

I think the only "mistake" I see, not knowing you or your Chance, I'm just going by experience because I've walked this one and suffered too... was the idea of checking out a "new" and unfamiliar park at 11:30. It probably would have been better if you guys had headed out at least an hour earlier or at least brought a picnic with you.

But you probably already know this.

However, that being said, we all learn by our mistakes and I too still sometimes forget that the sleep "window" for kids is a portal that closes all too rapidly and when we least expect it.

In the grand scheme of things, it isn't too big a deal, so try not be too hard on yourself (though you probably aren't beating yourself up, you just needed a good RANT). I see that you posted at midnight? Did someone else miss their window of opportunity for sleep?... ;-)

[Amy]

Are you sure he's healthy? If my kid had that many unusual behaviors (unending tantrum, falling asleep on the couch, skipping nap altogether...) in one day, I'd be wondering if she had something else going on. Maybe an ear infection?

Call me a hypochondriac by proxy, but generally, if their behavior is consistently weird like that then maybe there's something else wrong.

It's worth thinking about, anyway. See if you notice anything else wrong over the next few days.

I hope it's nothing more than a bad day, though.

[The Phoenix]

I don't think you made awful, terrible mistakes. You're way too hard on yourself. Perhaps your only error is that you didn't let him sleep on the couch. He would've gotten his nap, and you could've fed him a little snack afterwards.

As far as a potential illness or something like that - yeah, that's pretty paranoid.

He's acting his age. The kid's job is to push the boundaries. That's how they learn.

You're a great mom.

[the weirdgirl]

I'm just being facetious to myself. I counted a number of mistakes, ranging from going out too late, to forgetting his snack, to not transitioning him into his nap, and on. Frankly, I should have just let him sleep (he couldn't have been that hungry, right?).

I think he's also ramping up into the true terrible two's. The willful and determined boundary-pushing has continued. SO MUCH FUN!!

[ann adams]

I don't have many rules around here. The most important when the girls were little?

Never, never wake a sleeping child. Missing a meal will not cause lasting damage.

I would prefer to think of these things as learning experiences. Even at my age, I blow it once in a while.