Bad Mommy?

Good grief! My boys are makin' me out to be a cranky, mean monster. And I'm not, I swear!

So here's the scoop:

Disturbing Event #1- Picture this: we're at the park, it's super hot, & Frank WON'T keep his shoes on. Bad, right?

So I say "If you can't keep your shoes on, you'll have to sit in the car."

He says "OK, Mommy."

He slides on the shoes & off he goes onto the playground. Problem solved. But wait! There he is- again without the shoes! Rats.

Grudgingly, Mommy says "Frank, what did I say was going to happen if you took off your shoes?"

"I'd have to go sit in the car, Mommy."

"That's right. Go get your shoes and come back to me." (Italics added for emphasis.)

Mommy starts talking to a friend, not really intending to follow through on the punishment- we're at the park after all, & it's supposed to be fun! Frank never comes back, so I figure he ignored me & is playing happily. About 20 minutes go by & Frank appears again. And he's totally red & sweaty. I figured he's been playing to his little heart's content & is needing a drink. So I offer a drink & ask him to sit down by me to rest. But he says no! What?

"I'm cooking like a hamburger, Mommy." (Frank loves dramatic similes.)

"Yes, honey. It's really hot out here."

"No, Mommy, I'm really cooking like a hamburger!"

"Yeah, it's really hot. Why don't you sit down in the shade with me for a minute?"

"No, Mommy. I'm really hot like a hamburger in there!" (Wait a minute- what does he mean IN THERE?)

The little stink (or angel, depending on how you look at it) was SITTING IN THE CAR for over 20 minutes!!! It's a miracle nobody called CPS on me! Honestly, I thought the car was locked & don't even know how he got in there.

And yes, I did tell him that would be his punishment, but I fully intended to, I don't know, turn on the car?!?! And run the A/C?!?! I figured a 2-3 minute time out would've solved the problem & that would be that. But now I feel like a total monster because Frank actually thought that I would let him 'cook like a hamburger' for all that time. Poor little dude. Next time I will make sure he notices the "come back to me" part of my instructions. Sheesh.

Dramatic event #2- Picure this: Jack is saying the bedtime prayer.

"Please bless that we will sleep good. Please bless that Emma will get a green face (at school). And please bless that Mommy won't spank me. Amen."

Picture Daddy snorting so hard that he starts choking & gasping for air.

Seriously? Why didn't Little Mister Jack mention that he only got a spankin' when it was 2 hours past his bedtime & he was STILL climbing out of bed & sneaking around the house. Sheesh.

What's the old saying? You're danged if you do & you're danged if you don't. A mother came up with that one.