No, not just a battlefield…a sneak attack!
We were having a pleasant shopping experience at Home Depot, and both kids had first embraced the cart with the race car (double seater, both with steering wheels) and just as quickly discarded it so they could walk holding Mommy & Daddy’s hands while we attempted to navigate the now empty humongous cart while trying to find seeds for our little vegetable garden.
Parker finally gave up and wanted to “drive” some more, and I unfortunately put him in “Madi’s” side of the cart. Well, Madi then decided that she wanted to get back into the cart, but back into “her” side. I thought it was perfectly reasonable for her to sit on the other side, but I was wrong, because she dissolved into hysterics. In the middle of Home Depot.
I dragged her kicking and screaming out to the car (yes, I was one of those people) and after trying unsuccessfully to strap her into her carseat, held her in the front seat until Ben came out to the car so we could tag team her into the car. She continued to cry and scream…then about halfway home, she started crying about “going back to Home Depot”. I asked her why, and believe it or not, she said it was so “she could say I’m sorry to the Home Depot workers”. Go figure. We convinced her that she could draw them an “I’m sorry” picture instead, and she finally calmed down. We are continually flabbergasted at her ability to launch into a total tantrum and just as quickly come out of it, be totally fine, and already be thinking about how to apologize. It’s exhausting.
And you know…as frustrating as it is to deal with the daily “battlefields”, whether Home Depot meltdowns or Parker crying about everything he can’t do, there are so many other times that more than make up for it. Madi’s little pitter-pattering feet dashing down the hallway in the morning, climbing into bed, and snuggling up under my chin to catch a couple more minutes of shut-eye. Parker cozying up on my lap before bed, guzzling his milk and clutching his “fuzzy” while I read Good Night Moonthree times in a row, stopping for him to “moo” at the picture of the cow jumping over the moon. It makes me smile just to think about it.
I firmly believe that everything has a place, and I suppose it holds true here too. We need the challenge…and the tranquility. Too much of the challenging times, and we would probably burn out. Too much tranquility and we would miss out on the opportunities to learn about self-control.
But for now, I’ll take the tranquility…I’ve had enough challenges for today…Home Depot would probably appreciate it too…
