Well, I can honestly say I never wanted to be one of those angry mothers who yells at her child in the mall, but I suppose one can't evade the inevitable. It finally happened to me. When Tegan was about five weeks old, my sissy Meagan came to visit. (She just HAD to "get out of Provo.") Anyway, we decided to go shopping in Portland. It was a Saturday and super crowded. Ethan wanted to push the stroller. Awe ... the joys of adjusting to two children. I let him push the stroller, which contained Tegan, until he hung on it and it FELL OVER! Um ... no more! I told Ethan I needed to push it and the war began. WOW! Ethan started screaming, yelling, and gnashing his teeth! I told Meagan to take Tegan and go to the stores she wanted. Ethan and I proceeded to sit on a bench in the middle of the mall, where he screamed. I stayed as calm as possible and even found myself laughing. I told him to sit on the bench until he could calm down. By this point, everyone is staring - or maybe it just felt that way. By this point he was hysterical and started to want to sit on my lap while throwing a fit. I told him, no way - I wasn't going to comfort a boy that was screaming at me!!! This made him super-hysterical. Then the real kicker ... he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I WANT A HUG!" This lovely phrase echoed through the walls of Washington Square. By this time, I was a bit frustrated, so I grabbed my child's hand and held on tightly as we walked rather briskly out to the car. All the while, Ethan continued to yell, "I WANT A HUG!" How ironic and laughable. When we got to the car, I put him in and let him wage the war solo on the inside while I said a prayer of patience on the outside. An experience I hope to never encounter again. But that may be wishful thinking ...
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3 comments:
My dear, I have been there many times and have found myself laughing as well when my child has about thrown the worst fit ever. I think we do that to control ourselves because there is nothing else we can do. Grin and bear it, there will be more.... :)
What was it, monday I was dragging Ginny across the street because she wouldnt walk, and she followed me screaming through Barnes and Noble, "I cant walk." I pretty much ignored her even though I thought everyone was staring. You did it you survived! Congrats. and I love Washington Square Mall!
Oh girl, I'm feelin' this post. I AM always the mean mom and it only get harder when there are more mobile, independent children...it's wonderful and one of the joys of motherhood and one of many reasons I try not to ever leave my house. But seriously, I'm sure most people who saw it had a little chuckle and thought, "Man I'm glad it's not me...today."
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