Mommy and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…

Today was not ideal. It felt long, very long indeed and the kids did not exactly represent themselves well. Oh, let’s be honest. They were terrible. In public. I hate that!

I should have known when my daughter walked into the car door while I opening it, getting ready to leave.  But I’m optimistic, ok stubborn. I was determined to check a few items off the “to do” list. I proceeded with caution, but not enough. Clearly.

We went to target. Yes, that was me. The one with the two little kids. Yeah, that’ right. The one whose son was hitting and kicking his sister. Yeahhhhh, and I was that mom. Yup, the one telling my son that he would watch his sister eat a yummy treat and not have any if he didn’t stop. Uh huh, yes!!… That was MY son with the “oh shit” look.

I should have grasped the reality of my situation at that moment. But NOOOO … I was delusional, uh, I mean optimistic.

So went to one last store, in the same shopping center.

I should tell you, as a basis for understanding, that this last errand has been on my list for over a week now and it was the simple purchase of one item from one store. Simple, right? Not when you always have two kids in tow. For the past week I have been finding myself 100 yards from this store, yet unable to go in. I find this frustrating. Sort of like admiring a savory meal on the other side of clear glass window. Like missing a train by 1 minute. Totally annoying. Worse than being miles away.

So, I pushed on forward. Let’s ignore the fact that I had to steal a single cart from the supermarket next door because the store doesn’t have reasonable carts. Oh vey. Don’t I learn? Then my son wouldn’t sit in the basket of the cart, as my daughter was in the top part/seat. Not to be deterred, I figured I could calm him down.

He WAILED through the store and I must have told him to “sit down” about 100 times. Getting him to stay in the cart took some effort. I would have let him get out, but that wasn't a valid option. He never would have listened to me and I don't want to imagine how much I would have had to pay for what he broke. Besides, then she would have wanted the same freedom and I would have been officially screwed.

I noticed one of the employees looking at me with panicked eyes and found it mildly interesting, but didn’t have time to ponder it. I wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Then, suddenly, she was there. In my face. In what seemed to resemble a panic attack, she informed me that she could no longer allow me to treat my son that way. (Huh?) She was going to her manager. I just stared at her, and told her to “go do whatever she felt like doing” and glared at her down with annoyed dismissal.

Then she approached with the manager. “Are you all right, Ma’am?” the manager asks me, eying me carefully. Seriously? Like I have time for this…

Yes, I was fine. I would be better if my son would quit his monster tantrum, but I was fine. The manager nodded and led the employee away. I checked out, a helpful employee held the door for me and I left as quickly as possible.

My son calmed down in the car, just in time for my daughter to chuck her water and remove one shoe the first 2 minutes of our return home. (For those of you that don’t know my daughter, not being able to reach a toy and having one shoe on drives her INSANE). So she screamed the 20 minutes it took to arrive home.

Later this evening, as my daughter refused to eat dinner anywhere but in my lap, I sighed. That deep profound sigh that only a mother of young kids can understand. I kissed my daughter, smiled at my son (he was beyond my physical reach and I couldn’t stand up) and informed them that they were lucky to be so cute.

They will rely on that cuteness again. I have no doubt.