Father's Day 2015

photo credit: Lynn in Love

I make a lot of mistakes on the daily as a parent. Sometimes I let my frustration get the best of me and I make up crazy consequences that don't make any sense. For example once at Jason's Deli, Alex was eating chocolate soft serve and kept spilling it off of his spoon onto his clothes. I kept putting napkins everywhere where I anticipated it would land and it kept missing and landing on clothing. After the 5th time, I was like, "Are you serious?! If you spill one more spoonful, you are done and we are leaving!"
And then once I say something, I'm stu[pid]bborn enough to follow through. Because you're supposed to follow through, right? I've gotten very good at apologizing.
He did spill another time and we did end up leaving. Naturally, he screamed on the way out and even I walked out thinking, WTF MOM?!
I did apologize to him for acting crazy later.
Our latest battle is chewing and swallowing vegetables. Alex can camel it up and chew a vegetable for 15 minutes before swallowing it partly because he truly hates them and partly to really let me know he hates them.
After a particularly long day after school at the end of May, we all really needed to go to bed. Probably me the most. As Alex went on 10 minutes chewing one piece of broccoli (these times are not exaggerated, I've timed him), I said, "If you don't swallow that broccoli in the next two minutes, you are done with dinner and we are going upstairs to take a bath and go to bed. We have a schedule to keep." Then I set a timer and watched (almost with sick satisfaction) him [fake] cry and dramatically mummble until two minutes passed. Then we went upstairs and took a bath. Luckily he was done with dinner, as he always saves the vegetables for last, and he didn't choke as he was crying with food in his mouth. It took him another 10 minutes to swallow that broccoli... we were halfway through his bath.

After he stopped screaming and I apologized (again) for making him feel sad, I was explaining that we didn't have 4 hours every night to sit at the dinner table and that if we don't get enough sleep, we are tired and don't grow. I asked him what he is going to next time that is different.
He replied, "You go somewhere and I stay with Dad and eat."

Eating vegetables with Dad is safe because Dad does not get out of control and crazy! He does not try to create a Russian orphanage eating experience AND best, when crazy Mom is around making crazy demands and illogical actions, Dad supports her even though maybe he shouldn't.

Today, we celebrate Dad who keeps everyone sane and logical and loves his little boy to the moon and back.

Happy Father's Day!

photo credit: Lynn in Love