Parenting Tasmanian Devils
Parenting is not perfect. In fact, it's unsightly at times when behaviors escalate and parents have to pull their shit together, remain relatively calm, and adult the heck out of an unfavorable situation. This is increasingly difficult in public, when all eyes are on the Tasmanian devil of a child who is your responsibility to manage whilst stares of judgment penetrate your parental psyche. Recently I was reminded that my boys seem to lose their minds on family 'trips', as I deliberately reserve the word vacation for romantic getaways not involving children.
Escaping for our 20th anniversary a few years ago, we opted to take our four children to Disneyland and Laguna Beach, a milestone celebration we wanted our children to remember. Albeit not a romantic couples vacation, the trip seemed achievable without babies in tow. Managing daily entertainment at Disney or the beach with children ages 5, 8, 10 and 12 was easy compared to the evenings when melt downs began and no amount of wine could quell the whine that escalated.
My kids distinctly remember one such evening, when following a successful early dinner at Laguna Beach, we strolled to gelato while taking in the ocean breeze and quaint shops. Treating the children to their favorite flavors, all was seemingly at peace in the world, until we reached the curb with our treats and my five-year-old erupted with such horrific cacophony that sheer panic ensued in our vicinity.
Successfully gaining the attention of every passerby, my son wailed and screamed because the gelato was not the flavor he imagined. There was absolutely nothing that could calm his mind as he morphed into a Velociraptor in both volume and actions. Stopping short of flailing on the pavement, in an effort to preserve his gelato, this Tasmanian devil of a child was sure to cause the next great California earthquake if we didn't take immediate action. Needless to say, our embarrassment as parents was escalating as passersby gawked in curiosity at the unsightly scene.
That's when I lost my mind. Forced to pull up my big girl panties as a parent, I seized the tyrant's gelato cup dumping it upside down in the wide-open garbage container by the curb. "Bummer," I said relatively calmly, as my family and the exceedingly large crowd gathered stared at me in amazement. Of course my eldest three children savored their delicacies in smug delight. Shocked by my own actions, I braced myself for the fallout, surmising I had nothing to lose as we quickly ducked out of the disastrous scene. I'll admit I was shaking and unsure of myself at the time, but the lesson paid off. My son was speechless! Our children distinctly remember the event and luckily we all survived to tell the story another day.
Ironically, my 13-year-old son jokingly reminded me of the 'Laguna Gelato Mishap' recently in San Francisco while I was at my wits end parenting three boys, relentless in their attempts to pester each other.
"For the love of God, please stop touching each other!" I pleaded as we tried to circumvent the crowded Fisherman's Wharf, my daughter beside herself with embarrassment. Parenting alone, as my husband worked in a San Francisco office, I felt solely responsible for mature adult behavior. Not an easy task when your children are bonkers!
Two days of touching, pestering and making your brother squeal like a pig while we attempted to sightsee and learn about San Francisco was more than I could take! By the morning of day three, I decided my daughter and I needed a few hours of retail therapy to recover. Thankfully my sons were older this time in California, leaving me with more Love and Logic parenting options at my disposal!
Grabbing the TV remote control, every iPad and electronic device I could find, I raced like a madwoman shoving all into my satchel, as my daughter and I quickly departed for Pier 39. My boys, dumbfounded, were left with only books to read.
Indulging in a fresh crab sandwich for lunch, we opted to buy $1.50 Lunchables for the three boys at the 7-11 before casually strolling back to the hotel. Grateful the Tasmanian Devils had not caused further damage to themselves or the hotel room, I was refreshed and ready to try again when we returned after noon.
"We'll see if your behavior warrants dinner in a restaurant tonight," I cautioned them, feeling empowered as my daughter and I finished the delicious sandwich. Devilishly coy and polite, my three sons managed the rest of the trip without further incident, likely in fear of further hotel boredom.
In a twist of fate, both California incidences changed our family's course of direction for the best and lifted everyone's spirits in the end. While not every parenting moment is perfect, these memories that become laughable with time are best shared, normalizing our parental experience. I'll admit our family is not always 'picture perfect', nor is my every parenting moment mature, but it's how we recover that matters, apologies included, to live to tell these stories another day!
Escaping for our 20th anniversary a few years ago, we opted to take our four children to Disneyland and Laguna Beach, a milestone celebration we wanted our children to remember. Albeit not a romantic couples vacation, the trip seemed achievable without babies in tow. Managing daily entertainment at Disney or the beach with children ages 5, 8, 10 and 12 was easy compared to the evenings when melt downs began and no amount of wine could quell the whine that escalated.
My kids distinctly remember one such evening, when following a successful early dinner at Laguna Beach, we strolled to gelato while taking in the ocean breeze and quaint shops. Treating the children to their favorite flavors, all was seemingly at peace in the world, until we reached the curb with our treats and my five-year-old erupted with such horrific cacophony that sheer panic ensued in our vicinity.
Successfully gaining the attention of every passerby, my son wailed and screamed because the gelato was not the flavor he imagined. There was absolutely nothing that could calm his mind as he morphed into a Velociraptor in both volume and actions. Stopping short of flailing on the pavement, in an effort to preserve his gelato, this Tasmanian devil of a child was sure to cause the next great California earthquake if we didn't take immediate action. Needless to say, our embarrassment as parents was escalating as passersby gawked in curiosity at the unsightly scene.
That's when I lost my mind. Forced to pull up my big girl panties as a parent, I seized the tyrant's gelato cup dumping it upside down in the wide-open garbage container by the curb. "Bummer," I said relatively calmly, as my family and the exceedingly large crowd gathered stared at me in amazement. Of course my eldest three children savored their delicacies in smug delight. Shocked by my own actions, I braced myself for the fallout, surmising I had nothing to lose as we quickly ducked out of the disastrous scene. I'll admit I was shaking and unsure of myself at the time, but the lesson paid off. My son was speechless! Our children distinctly remember the event and luckily we all survived to tell the story another day.
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| Laguna Beach, CA |
Ironically, my 13-year-old son jokingly reminded me of the 'Laguna Gelato Mishap' recently in San Francisco while I was at my wits end parenting three boys, relentless in their attempts to pester each other.
"For the love of God, please stop touching each other!" I pleaded as we tried to circumvent the crowded Fisherman's Wharf, my daughter beside herself with embarrassment. Parenting alone, as my husband worked in a San Francisco office, I felt solely responsible for mature adult behavior. Not an easy task when your children are bonkers!
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| San Francisco, CA |
Grabbing the TV remote control, every iPad and electronic device I could find, I raced like a madwoman shoving all into my satchel, as my daughter and I quickly departed for Pier 39. My boys, dumbfounded, were left with only books to read.
Indulging in a fresh crab sandwich for lunch, we opted to buy $1.50 Lunchables for the three boys at the 7-11 before casually strolling back to the hotel. Grateful the Tasmanian Devils had not caused further damage to themselves or the hotel room, I was refreshed and ready to try again when we returned after noon.
"We'll see if your behavior warrants dinner in a restaurant tonight," I cautioned them, feeling empowered as my daughter and I finished the delicious sandwich. Devilishly coy and polite, my three sons managed the rest of the trip without further incident, likely in fear of further hotel boredom.
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| Austin, TX |
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