You hopefully know this already, but we shouldn’t judge our parenting skills by the opinions of outsiders. We like to say we don’t … but in some capacity or another, most of us probably do to at least a minor extent.
I’ve got exhibit A for you to remind you just WHY you should not do that.
Yesterday we took the kids to the Polynesian Resort for lunch before heading over to EPCOT (or as the girls call it “Apricot”) for the Flower and Garden Festival.
The Festival was amazing btw and if you’re in Orlando before May 20, you need to go!
Okay, back to the story. So, as many of you know, we are coming off a 10-day excursion from St. Louis for my little brother, Adam’s wedding. So of course, my kids are tired and out of whack, but we decided it would be a great idea to keep them out of school just one more day and go to Apricot … I mean EPCOT. This is not the bad parenting part btw. ;)
While at lunch, Isaac, the “angel” decides he has had it. He’s done. I mean over it, with a capital O.
Being the fun parents that we are, we decided to buy the girls smoothies. Then thought it would be a good idea to give Isaac a taste. It was all down hill from there. He wanted those smoothies and apparently no amount of putting them in his bottle, sippy cup or feeding him from the straw would do it. He wanted them from the girl’s cups! Which of course, neither girl was willing to give up their coveted smoothie. That’s just crazy talk.
So, alas, we had a situation. Isaac was screaming, hopping mad. M-A-D. That sweet little baby would take anything else we put in his hand and throw it on the floor or chuck it across the table. After we realized we should stop putting things in his hands, he started looking for anything he could reach on the table to chuck. At one point his reach was just long enough to get his glass plate, which he promptly threw on the restaurant floor.
At this point, I take him out of the restaurant to have a little 14-month-old conversation. Where he proceeded to slap me and I proceeded to slap his little toosh. He calms down, we return to lunch.
Problem: Smoothie cups are still on the table and Isaac remembers that he really likes those. Dangit.
So he begins to scream and throw things again. At this point the girls decide its time to up the ante a bit and Audrey decides she doesn’t really like the food we picked for her. Saylah either. People are staring. I mean really we’ve attracted some attention. So, Isaac, still p.o’ed grabs another thing and throws it on the ground. At which point I take his little hand and slap it. This does not work. Go figure.
Ben removes child. I deal with other two.
Finally he comes back, I’ve made the girls chug their smoothies and the server remove the evidence. I’ve replaced it with a bottle of milk for him. Hand him his bink, beep and a bottle and little monster becomes little man again and settles into our arms, calm and content.
This gives me a minute to look up and notice that the grandma a few tables away is glaring at me. Unsure if I see this correctly I do a double take and for certain this woman is giving me the evilest evil eye. No doubt upset that I slapped the baby’s hand. Fabulous.
I return the look, and move on to my lunch. Not thrilled by this woman’s judgment. If she only knew, probably the number one reason this little boy throws his food is because he gets away with far more than I would have let his sisters get away with at his age. Whatever.
Fast-forward ten minutes. This lovely grandparent couple sits down at the table next to us. My first thought; they have no idea how lucky they are that they arrived when they did. 10 minutes earlier and we would have ruined their meal. But as we eat I notice how they are looking adoringly at our lovely, well-behaved family of five. Everyone happily eating their dessert and baby resting in his daddy’s arms. Ahh, sweet picture right? At one point the woman chimes in, “you have such good kids,” and gives me that all-knowing smile of approval. Hooray, mother of year award, right here!
So, as you can see, mother of the year or meanest mom ever – same person, just a span of ten minutes; if I would allow my perception of parenthood to be defined by the judgments of others.
So, I try not to. But the silver lining of the lunch from hell, is that I had a good reminder that I need to fix my goals on raising my kids on my beliefs of what God says and just hit and hope! But … If I were going to side with one of those stranger-women, I’m thinking, I’m going to go with the one who thought we were perfect.
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