It was the winter of 2012. My almost-two and almost-four-year-olds were suffering from a bad case of cabin fever. It was too cold to head to the park, the snow too deep to let my littles frolic around outside. The girl would surely be lost in a drift and, if I’m being honest, I don’t do cold.
So I did the next best thing. I took the day off and we headed to the mecca of children’s fun: the mall. Our mall has an indoor playground, little houses and slides, and a place called Giggles and Smiles that consists of more plastic balls than should be legal. I’m talking ball pits, basketballs, kick balls, a huge ball with a hollow inside where the kids sit and are rolled around until they’re dizzy.
Heaven.
My children were giddy. They chattered the whole drive there about how they would run and jump and have “so much fun!” They weren’t disappointed when we got there, either: it was deserted! They had the run of the place. They were officially Mall Playground King and Queen. I remember thinking other parents must not love their kids as much as I love mine because where were they?! Probably working, unwilling to take the day off like I had. Huh. I’m a really good mom.
My daughter ran around like a little bird on crack, flapping her arms and squawking just because she could. She didn’t have to wait her turn or be careful of the other kids; she was always first in line and she took center stage as often as she wanted. I mean that literally; there was a small stage and she kept hopping up to belt out the first half of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. It was adorable. MY KID WAS ADORABLE! And I was feeling like a really good mom.
The boy was more into the gadget wall. There were mirrors and toys that turned and clicked and rolled. He made so much noise and no one asked him to quiet down. He was in his glory, the novelty of not having to share was a dream come true. His big blue eyes met mine and he smiled. I knew what he was thinking: you’re a re-wee good mom.
There I was, basking in the glow of being a really good mom, alternating between snapping pictures of my happy children and sipping my grande white chocolate mocha. Ahhh, this is so nice, I thought, my cold little heart warming with the above-freezing temperatures courtesy of the mall’s stellar heating system. I hope my kids remember how nice today is.
The next day, the boy puked.
The day after that, the girl puked.
We were then stuck in the house for a solid two months, trading cold and flu germs, one bout of hand foot and mouth, and so much diarrhea.
This really good mom began to realize why the mall playground had been abandoned that day. Kids lick slides. They put their fingers in their mouths after scratching their own behinds, and they’re constantly rubbing their eyes with hands that have caressed every last gadget on the friggin’ toy wall. In the dead of winter, mall playgrounds are nothing more than a Petri dish of grossness. A germ haven. A place from which the experienced really good moms stay away because they’re smarter than me.
I learned my lesson that day, and instead of my children remembering the fun we had, they have since and continue to regale our company with stories of “the day they both vomited.”
So maybe that mall trip didn’t necessarily make me a really good mom, but I was definitely a Good & Honest mom! Mott’s has recently launched the Good & Honest campaign, celebrating parents everywhere who are doing the best they can every day for their kids. They’re sharing ads like this to spotlight some of life’s “parenting truths” to uplift Moms and Dads, to share a laugh and acknowledge we all improvise along the way. And to make me feel better for being a moron…
Be Good & Honest and WIN!
Share your Good & Honest moment in the comments, on my Facebook page, or tag me on Twitter for a chance to win a $50 gift card AND Mott’s product. My kids love the strawberry applesauce pouches–they’re yummy, healthy, and great for on the go snacking. The clean-up is minimal, which is what I like best. Oh yeah, the healthy part, too. I’ll choose my favorite Good & Honest moment on April 30, so you have time to share the wealth: tell your friends, Mom, co-worker, uncle, and neighbor about the giveaway. Or, don’t. More for you.
Daycare was open on Good Friday and both the hubs and I had the day off. We debated back and forth on whether to drop her at daycare and share some (much needed) downtime by going to breakfast and then doing NOTHING or if we should do a family day trip of some sort. We opted for the former and had a GREAT time. Good thing we got all that relaxation in because as soon as she walked in the door she started complaining that her tummy hurt and less than an hour later the puke-fest began and we spent the rest of the night (and most of Saturday) tending to a sick child and doing laundry. Lots and lots of laundry!
When they were small I used to be over-protective, but now I just let them enjoy themselves. I used to get in all sorts of mischief as a kid. I had a blast, created great memories, and I survived. I don’t want to rob my kids of a childhood because I worry about a broken arm or a few stitches. I want to let them have fun, and it is hard to let them out of the protective bubble and hope they turn out okay.
Lol. Too bad I don’t have stories like this yet. I can’t wait to have a kid of my own to experience things like this. You’re hilarious. Thank you for sharing.
And to tie it all together, “applesauce” is the perfect snack when you have “the shits”! The “A” in the “BRAT” diet if you will. Mott’s is there in good times and in bad!
I sneaked some veggies into my child’s fruit smoothies a few times, but then told him about added veggies. He was fine with that.
My Good and Honest parenting moment comes when I accidentally forgot to pack a snack for my son (I had everything else in the diaper bag.) Thank goodness a Mott’s applesauce pouch was found in my purse! My son gobbled it down.
Another “honest” moment is when I always use applesauce to get my sons to take their medications. It has such a great flavor, they can hardly taste the medicine.
To get kids to eat broccoli, we tell them it is a must if they are going to run faster in the next soccer game. And there is always a next game.
Oh, I’ve been there. When I first became a stepmom, I was appalled at the kinds of food my stepkids had been eating. Chicken nuggets? Corn dogs? Mac & Cheese? Oh no – these kids were going to learn about proper nutrition. And I was going to start by introducing them to asparagus. I’d give anything to have a redo on that particular dinner. As soon as my blonde haired, blue eyed step-daughter choked it down, she puked her entire dinner right into her plate – at the table! Upon seeing that, my wide-eyed stepson (who hadn’t braved the asparagus quite yet) puked HIS dinner back into his plate. Needless to say, lesson learned. They ate beige/yellow/brown food for the next several years!!
My son refused to eat his vegetables, so I would make a breakfast smoothie and put some in it to disguise it, and called it Big Guy Healthy Smoothie, and he drank it all up!
Oh, I have been there! You’d think I’d have learned my lesson after the McDonalds petrie dish play area. Or the Chik-Fil-A play area. Or the mall play area. Or… 😉