We are leaving for WV for my cousin's wedding today and I needed to go to the store in the morning. I fed Brooklynn breakfast and then took her downstairs and got ready to go. Fun, right? Well, she has been "driving" lately. She realized that it's a fun game to sit in the front seat and climb back and forth from the driver's seat to the passenger seat to the back seat that doesn't have her car seat in it and when she is in the driver's seat she likes to steer, play with all the buttons, hang from the rear-view mirror, pull off the volume buttons, etc. Well, I'm all for this except when it is a: really hot and I fear her overheating, b: when I'm in a hurry. Today was both of those things. I tried several times to get her and put her in her car seat and she kept diving to the other side. It is getting a little hard to manage in my second trimester of pregnancy, I just don't care about this game.
I backed the car out of the garage (with her running rampant) and put the top down so at least it wouldn't be too hot. I figured I'd let her play and then eventually she would get in her carseat. Oh boy was I wrong. It was like adding fuel to the fire, the longer she played the less likely she was going to get in. Finally I tried so hard I'm sure passersby were thinking I was abusing her based on her screaming so I pulled my car back in the garage and said, "that's it now we're not going anywhere."
Then she still wouldn't get out of the car. I was so annoyed. Now I was mad because I really did want to go to the store. I really needed to buy her a floaty raft to go in the water because this weekend we will be swimming a LOT.
So I thought about it for a bit, figured that she probably won't even realized that I'm going back on my word and shoved her in her car seat (while breaking a sweat and she was screaming at the top of her lungs and thrusting her body out of the seat....repeat several times) and we went to the store. And to make matters WORSE, I ended up buying her the raft, a new doll (only $3) AND this cool driving toy that is like a play steering wheel. I thought maybe just maybe it would be easier from now on to get her in the car. But I am feeling very guilty how I caved and actually REWARDED this horrible behavior. I'll see my parents tonight, maybe they can talk some sense into my parenting skills.
Anyway, if someone told me this story or I was watching it happen I would raise my eyebrows and think something along the lines of "oh are they setting themselves up for failure" or "Oh boy...this is what is wrong with parents these days" and I KNOW. I guess it just goes to show you that even though you know what you are supposed to do it doesn't always go as planned.
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