One of the blogs that I read frequently is called "The Happiest Mom." It is a great space that often chats about remembering the big picture with kids and putting aside the pressures that we put on ourselves as Moms and just learning to let things go. I could have used a page out of this blog today, let me tell you.
Sydney started her first day of a week long British Soccer Camp today along with five other kids from her preschool class. She was so excited to be seeing everyone this morning, she's missed them after having been off of school for the summer break for so long. We got up early, got her dressed in sports clothes and drove off to the soccer field where we saw her friends, met the coaches and got our very own soccer ball to take home with Sydney's name written on it.
We were off to a good start....Syd kicked the ball around a bit to warm up but as soon as the coach rallied the kids together to get started she wanted absolutely nothing to do with soccer camp. She clung to me like a koala bear and refused to participate.
Now Syd has always been slow to warm up to new things, so this behaviour wasn't wildly unexpected. I let her sit with me for the better part of an hour before encouraging her to get out there and play with her friends and that I wasn't going anywhere.
Still she wouldn't move, instead spent the next hour or so climbing all over me, yanking my hair, running at high speed into my back while I sat on the field. After two hours of this I could have throttled her. My blood was boiling....camp was over for the day and we had not only wasted an entire morning that we could have spent doing something else fun, but she was full of energy that should have been expended running all over the soccer field!
Now I had an energetic monkey to contend with for the rest of the day. I was furious. I said absolutely not one word to Syd in the car on the way home, frustrated beyond belief at how ridiculous it is that all the other children were happily participating without their parents there and that mine wouldn't leave my side, let alone participate even with me staying within five feet of her!
I was never so happy that the nanny was coming over this afternoon to watch Syd. I jetted out the door as soon as she got here and wound my way up to my favourite sushi place where I serenely sat and sipped green tea and ate sushi while trying to unwind.
Then I headed out for a little retail therapy and wandered South Granville for a while to do a little shopping.
I felt better once I got home and have resolved that tomorrow, participate or not, I will not lose my patience and remember the big picture, that she does all things when she's good and ready and that I have little to no control over when that happens.
Sigh....motherhood....who would have thought it was this much fun...
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