Disaster & Parental Failure

[captain_slinky]

Today I am an absolute failure of a parent. Molly woke up a little bit sicker than she ahd been the past few days (lots of snot, sneezing and coughing), but I had been promising her an awesome day out today. We were going to go to Lynndale Park in Lynnwood for a nifty little juggling show and then playing with bjorker and Aurelia. She was stoked to do this, and so was I!

First bad sign was that all the roads I knew of to get to Lynndale Park were closed for construction. Spent a half-hour following detour signs that took us further and further away from the park... I eventually cheated and cut through the construction to get to a little-used parking lot that was right on top of the area where the juggling was gonna happen.

Then it started to rain. Not hard, just enough to let you know that it's raining. Just enough to make Molly insist that we take an umbrella with us.

The first ten minutes there were great. We found Aurelia, we sat, she shared her umbrella, they blew bubbles... it was nice.

Then Molly got bored.

She stripped off her coat, shoes and socks. I *think* she beat Aurelia with the umbrella and refused to say she was sorry. And then she decided to give up on the jugglers and head for the playground, shoeless, in the rain.

Every time I tried to play with her or talk to her or even look in her general direction she yelled at me to stop it, even when she was asking me for help.

Once she was nice and dirty, we went back to the jugglers. Molly found a stick and made sure the other girls had them too so they could all swing them around and hit each other with them. Molly refused to stop, I took her stick away, she burst out crying.

Then she became very interested in the jugglers. So did I... they brought out KNIVES.

And then Molly was GONE. She had run off the to the playground on her own in the 7 seconds that I didn't stay 100% completely focused on her, one of my biggest fears.

She played int he playground and continued to tell me to quit it, so I told her that I had had enough of her attitude and in to the car seat we wnet, crying all the way.

On the way home I bought her a Happy Meal just to shut her up for a few minutes. I was THAT FRUSTRATED.

I feel like the worst Father in the world right now :(

Comments

[teegin.livejournal.com]

'Worst' would be a little extreme. it's not like you pimped her out to pay for the happy meal then put out your cigarette on her legs. Taking her home drug behind the car where you make her into vindaloo.

[nealbailey.livejournal.com]

You are not. A bad father would have beaten her with her own stick.

I knew a dad who made his son kneel on coarse sand.

You're a good guy, my friend.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) I know I'm not *actually* the worst father in the world, but the amount of fail today has made me feel like a bad dad by comparison.

[pete23.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you did OK, she was just in a mood, probably sick. The occasional Happy Meal bribe is fine, too. Don't sweat it.

And remember one mantra - whenever you think:

I feel like the worst Father in the world right now

YOU'RE NOT JOSEF FRITZL! :-}

[bjorker.livejournal.com]

Awww, well if it helps, I really didn't think much of it. In fact I kind of felt bad that I had told you about that event, and then it turned out to be not-so-good for the littler ones. And that we had to sit in the dirt and it rained a little bit.
I think Aurelia just wanted to steal the umbrella, personally (which she totally did, sigh...). I'm pretty sure that wasn't an "I'm in pain" cry. I'll have to remember to get one that size for her. ;)

Also I got caught up in that road closure too. There's another way into a bigger parking lot, but I purposely wanted to go to the one closer to the amphitheatre so we wouldn't have to walk by the playground... but then I ended up in that big detour (which took me right by one of my childhood houses that's filled with all kinds of bad memories! JOY!) and ended up going all the way back out to 196th and in through the other entrance (which is strangely nowhere near the entrance you and I were trying to take).

Goodtimes....

but hey, free Trader Joe's fruit bar thingies? well at least that's something? :P (too bad the popsicles last year were better, doh)

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

Oh i think that coming to the event itself was brilliant! We will be doing more of these things! i really don't mind chasing her around when she gets bored... I kind of expect it. It was her attitude combined with my lack of sleep and frustration over all the traffic that really dug in to me. And then the fact that none of my 'Dad Tricks" were working on calming her... it just all added up to a terrible day that ended with the "Fine I Give Up" move of defeat on my part... give the kid junk food to shut her up.

[schizoauthoress.livejournal.com]

I would not have your patience.

Seriously.

And there are so many worse dads than you...cheer up, you never threatened her with "the belt" now, did you?

[khristle.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I would have bought her the Happy Meal to make the screaming stop too.

There isn't much you can do when she gets in moods like this...just try to minimize the damage.

[d-a-r-a.livejournal.com]

My mantra is silence is golden, duct tape is silver...this is why I won't be having children. I am not nearly patient enough to deal with half of what you just described before I would be resorting to duct tape.

Suddenly, I am also reminded of our DARE officer in elementary school who shared that when he was an infant and was fussy his mom gave him a tsp of brandy to calm him down. I mean...but she was from the old country and all...but I could see myself doing that too...again, there are many reasons I'm not having children. :)

[nani-ka.livejournal.com]

Sounds like hanging out with my grandmother this week....

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

You bought your Grandma a "Shut Up" Happy Meal?!?!?

[nani-ka.livejournal.com]

No, but Denny's did feature prominently this week.

[nani-ka.livejournal.com]

oh, and Freak pointed out that his favorite thing about human beings is that they are twist-tops - unless they are under 4' tall, then they're pop-tops..... He is vastly impressed with your parenting skills & the fact that you HAVE them. He says he would have killed her...