Parenting

Sometimes I have to wonder...

Saturday at gymnastics I am watching this Dad with his daughter and every time the teacher shows the kids a new skill, he is all over this little 2 year old to try the skill over and over. And when she does complete the skill, he is all but yelling to the teacher to check out his kid and how great she did. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids are running and bouncing all over the place, barely paying attention to the teacher. Now, I am all for teaching my kid new stuff and also teaching her to follow directions, blah, blah, blah. But aren't we there so our kids can have a good time, maybe meet a new little friend (if their mom is cool too), and with any luck get some of that insane energy out so they take some sort of nap that day.


Sunday we went to the park, which I loved. It was the most pretty day and watching Elle run around there is one of my favorite things. So I am sitting on a bench enjoying the sun and watching her and Wade play. When I walked over closer to them, they were playing with a big wooden musical instrument, kind of like a piano but with sticks so you could hit the keys to make the music. Anyway, Elle is playing with one of the sticks and a little boy is playing with the other. Wade and the other Dad are just standing there watching the kids play. Then I see this other little boy standing in between the 2 kids and he is saying "I want to play" over and over. Which is forcing Wade and Tattoo Dad (that's the kid playing Elle's dad) to continually ask their kid to give up one of the sticks so this little kid can play. Yeah right, kids are smart. Not only is the game cool, but it just got a lot cooler because someone else wants it.
Meanwhile on the sidelines are whiny kid's parents just standing there. Not telling their kid to try to find another toy on this gigantic playground, just letting him stand there and whine until someone else is too uncomfortable to stand it anymore and gives up. Tattoo Dad convinced his kid to play with something else and whiny got his way. See, this is the exact type of situation I cannot stand. I think it would have been the right thing to do to explain to whiny that the other kids were playing with the game right now and he could come back later. Who knows, maybe I am wrong.


When we walked in the door at Mimi's this morning Angelica came running to the door toting a huge bag of toys. And as soon as she saw Elle she ran back into the living room and dove on top of the bag, I am not even kidding. So I ask Angelica if she is going to share, she says no. So Elle and I walk into the kitchen to set up Mimi's little folding table where the kids eat. Angelica comes running in and says "I want to help". And I, being the immature mom that I am, say (with my best snotty face on) "Oh...sorry, we're setting up. You didn't want to share your toys, so we are not going to share setting up the table with you." Okay, so we have already established that I am super protective of my kid and her happiness and that I am unbelievably immature when it comes to reacting to Angelica.

Guess we all have our little ways of making our kid's world the best it can be, whether it's being super competitive for them, letting them get their way, or fighting off the bully.
Whatever it is, I guess we are all just doing the best we can.