Tales from the Playland at the Mall
I wish I had some adorable pictures to post to show off our trips to the mall playland. I see other moms meet up and chat, sippng coffee and looking fabulous while their kids all run and play for hours. I envisioned playland like that - a happy place to meet up with my other mom friends and let the kiddos get out as much energy as possible. But pictures of our playland excursions are slightly less glamorous. Miles will play for all of 47 seconds before he remembers that the escalators are RIGHT THERE on the other side of the playland wall. And the only thing he has EVER wanted to do his whole LIFE is play on those escalators. You know, and get all his fingers chopped off!! He just doesn't understand why I would deny him his one true desire.
On Tuesday, Lyndsay and I met up and I swear we got two words into a converstation before Miles was escaping. And I swear I chased him down and brought him kicking and screaming back from the escalators no less than 10 MILLION times. Why even bother to take him?!
This very sweet mother of this perfectly behaved 3 or 3 1/2 year old boy said not to worry, that her son used to do the same thing all the time, but then he outgrew it. They had been playing there for almost an hour and her boy was being so good. And then, just because kids can be so cruel, not 5 minutes later she was sprinting after him as he tried to escape - her daughter running after them both. Then her sweet, well behaved son threw the BIGGEST tantrum because he had to give Miles back some Hot Wheels toys he borrowed. This poor mom was so embarrassed... but all I wanted to do was hug her and thank her because she gave me such hope! At first I thought that maybe she was just being sweet, because no way was her well behaved son anything like my tantrum throwing kid (Monday he bit me so hard his face was SHAKING with rage, but that's another story). But then I saw the proof! He was capable of "Miles" grade behavior. And if he could be SO good for 90% of the time before throwing that fit maybe, just maybe, Miles will outgrow throwing a fit because I won't let him run out into the street or throw himself down a flight of stairs.
I didn't get a chance to say thank you to that other mother, but I hope I will see her again at the mall and tell her how I feel. Also, I did realize that I shouldn't be so embarrassed when Miles runs away or throws a tantrum. Sure there are moms of perfect angels who look at me like something must me wrong with my kid. But maybe there is another mom who feels a little less bad because her kid won't stop escaping the playland too!!
On Tuesday, Lyndsay and I met up and I swear we got two words into a converstation before Miles was escaping. And I swear I chased him down and brought him kicking and screaming back from the escalators no less than 10 MILLION times. Why even bother to take him?!
This very sweet mother of this perfectly behaved 3 or 3 1/2 year old boy said not to worry, that her son used to do the same thing all the time, but then he outgrew it. They had been playing there for almost an hour and her boy was being so good. And then, just because kids can be so cruel, not 5 minutes later she was sprinting after him as he tried to escape - her daughter running after them both. Then her sweet, well behaved son threw the BIGGEST tantrum because he had to give Miles back some Hot Wheels toys he borrowed. This poor mom was so embarrassed... but all I wanted to do was hug her and thank her because she gave me such hope! At first I thought that maybe she was just being sweet, because no way was her well behaved son anything like my tantrum throwing kid (Monday he bit me so hard his face was SHAKING with rage, but that's another story). But then I saw the proof! He was capable of "Miles" grade behavior. And if he could be SO good for 90% of the time before throwing that fit maybe, just maybe, Miles will outgrow throwing a fit because I won't let him run out into the street or throw himself down a flight of stairs.
I didn't get a chance to say thank you to that other mother, but I hope I will see her again at the mall and tell her how I feel. Also, I did realize that I shouldn't be so embarrassed when Miles runs away or throws a tantrum. Sure there are moms of perfect angels who look at me like something must me wrong with my kid. But maybe there is another mom who feels a little less bad because her kid won't stop escaping the playland too!!
Great post! Who puts a playland right next to escalators anyways?! Obviously a mom did not design that. LOL!
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