Please tell me that I'm not the only one who gets a little heartbroken for their kids when it comes time to learn some hard lessons. I have the biggest urge to hug them and give them whatever they want just so I don't have to see the devastation on their little faces. Sometimes I think the lesson learning is harder on me than it is on them. This time, however, Camden was the one walking around with a completely shattered heart.
Logan had his 15 month well baby check this past week. I usually try to schedule his appointments on Heath's Friday off so that I don't have to take all three kids with me. It didn't work out that way this time, so I packed iPads loaded with games hoping to keep the girls occupied and distracted through the appointment.
We left a little early and met Heath for lunch. YUM! The kids were perfect little restaurant patrons. Afterwards, we had about 45 minutes to kill. Not quite enough time to justify running home, so we obviously went to Target. That's where I came up with a plan.
I told the girls that they could each pick out a $10 or less toy. The deal was that if they followed all of the rules at the doctor's office and were on their best behavior, they would get to keep the new toy. I wanted them to know exactly what they were working for, so we cruised the toy aisles until the found the perfect toy. Camden picked a pretty cool treasure chest that she would get to paint and decorate. Hannah picked a Mooshka doll. Both were super excited to get home and open their new toy. First, they had to pass the doctor's office test.
Usually they fail this test miserably. For the most part, they are really well behaved when we are out in public. For some unknown reason, they have never been able to keep it together in a doctor's office. This is incredibly frustrating for me. I usually only have half of my attention on the doctor. The other half is trying my darnedest to discipline and correct the crazy behavior of my kids without completely freaking out on them in front of a medical professional. I typically leave with a few more gray hairs and the huge urge to start drinking heavily.
I thought for sure my wonderful plan of bribing them with a new toy was going to be my ticket to a doctor's appointment where I could finally focus on the doctor. I couldn't have been more wrong. I have a three strikes and you're out policy. They hit strike three before the doctor even walked in. No one would sit still, no one would stay quiet, there were huge fights over which kid got which iPad. Guys, they are exactly the same! Same iPad, same games, same everything. It makes absolutely no sense! It was another disastrous appointment as far as kid behavior was concerned.
On a positive note, Logan is a healthy, happy little guy. He's pretty small, which is new in this house, but he's right on track with milestones and development. Thank goodness there weren't any major concerns that needed discussed with the doctor because I wouldn't have heard a single word of the advice the doctor would have given!
I marched the kids out to the car, drove straight to Target, marched all 3 up to the returns counter, and made the girls hand their toys over. Hannah got it. She knew why she didn't get to keep her toy. She was upset with herself, but not completely devastated. Camden, on the other hand, didn't quite understand and wailed like it was the end of the world. Yes, guys, I was that Mom with that kid. We've all seen it happen. The kid is losing their ever-loving mind while Mom runs through the store with a frazzled look on her face, grabbing things at lightening speed so that she can get that kid the heck out of there.
She cried the whole way home. It was heartbreaking for both of us, but I think by the end of the day she had figured out why her mean old Mom made her take her toy back. Every day since this happened, she has come up to me at least once and said, "I'm being a good girl today, right? Can we go get my toy at Target?" Nice try, sister! There will be a day when we go back and try again, but not yet, little lady.
This was a parenting win in my book. It was hard on us and broke all of our hearts, but it was necessary. Hopefully they'll be better kids in the long run because of it.
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