One Saturday, we had soccer for Lucas in the morning followed by two separate birthday parties. The night before lucas had a belt test for Tae Kwon Doe so needless to say he was tired.
At each party all the moms would look at each other when we heard crying and I am sure each one of us was praying that it wasn't our child. Please let it be someone else's so I don't look like the one with the kid with the issue. When i looked at the first party and realized it was my Lucas, I wanted someone else to claim him. I thought the moms would look at me judgmental but no they looked at me with........pity. They felt bad that I had to be embarrassed and deal with him. Lucas had fallen from the bouncy house and had scraped his knee on the carpet. It was a tiny scrape but for a kid his age it was an emergency. He starts whining that he needs a band aid and that his blood was going to be shooting out at any second. He could have won an Emmy for his great performance. I did what any desperate mom would do, I offered him cake after the party if he was good. With that he responded that it was a birthday party and so cake would be offered. Oh that smart kid.....he knows what's up...... He is six after all. Then why these dramatic tantrums I thought. I looked at the moms and they had moved to another room them I turned mean mommy on. I took him to the bathroom and said " listen Mr Lucas you have a scrape and when we get home mommy will take care of it but for now you will stop your yelling and get back out there and smile and enjoy the cake and not ruin your friends bday party, and as for the cake enjoy it and because that is the last sweet thing you will have for a long time. This is your only warning". He knew I meant business. He wiped his tears and went into the party room. The moms just smiled at me and I smiled back. Hopefully the embarrassment is over. But it wasn't.....the biggest cry was just about to come. He ate the pizza....sang happy birthday and then ate cake. We were almost out the door when the favors were being handed out. The kids began trading the toys in their favor bags and Lucas was getting left out. A grandmother holding her own favor bag was standing near Lucas. He says to her" open your bag and let's trade". She says no that she was holding the bag for her grandson. Lucas insisted and grabbed her bag. He was desperate. I jumped right in apologized to the grandmother , said my goodbyes to the moms and then grabbed Lucas hand and led him out the door. He began screaming. I walked out with a screaming kid and smiled at everyone on the way out to my car. What can I do but smile? I had to take it like a big girl. My Lucas.....my six year old was having a tantrum and I had to suck it up and deal with it. I put him in his car seat and buckled him in and drove out of the parking lot while he was still crying. I get to my first stop light out the parking lot and look back and he is out. He was tired and his crying was how he dealt with his exhaustion. I wasn't a bad mom I just had a kid who was tired after all week of school, tae Kwon doe, soccer and T-ball. He earned his exhaustion.
He slept in the car for about 45 minutes. I got to my house and stayed in the driveway until he woke up. I closed my eyes too I needed a nap as well. By the second party he was back to his old self and someone's else's kid cried. Thankfully it was not mine.
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