Double the Embarrassment

Tonight was Hot Cocoa with Santa at the kids school. I had my doubts before we even went - today was a very busy day with hardly a moment to sit down much less catch my breath. But the kids really wanted to go so despite my reservations they put on their jammies and big fluffy robes and we headed off to school.

It was about as miserable as I expected - despite warning the kids that they were welcome to show me the books that they wanted from the book fair I would not be buying anything tonight - they were still upset that I didn't whip out the checkbook. Even though you would think they would realize by now that every year the books they point out at the December book fair end up under the tree. Devin refused to take a picture with Santa. OK fine. We had cocoa, listened to The Night before Christmas, the girls took their picture with Santa and I was ready to get the hell out of dodge.

Stepping into the car, Hannah and Devin started fighting over who was going to sit in the back. Once this fight came to blows (about 3 seconds later) I kicked them both out of my car and told them that they were welcome to get back in the car once they had worked out their disagreement and calmed down. For the next five minutes, Caitlin and I sat in the warm car while Devin and Hannah attempted to work it out. Or I should say Devin because Hannah proceeded to lose her ever loving mind and stuck her fingers in her ears and screamed whenever he tried to talk to her. I allowed Devin back into the car and stood outside and tried to speak reasonably to Hannah. Letting her know that she would be welcome back into the car when she calmed down and stopped crying. Who knew this was the magic button to cause Hannah to completely fall apart.

Hannah proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes screaming at the top of her lungs, crying and throwing herself on the ground, screaming at me to just leave, she didn't need me, she would just walk home. To say that this behavior is out of character for Hannah would be a massive understatement. It was like watching the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. She actually stomped off towards the road (in her jammies!) righteously indignant screaming that she was leaving all of us, that she didn't want us anymore. WTF?? Caught between the opposite urges to laugh and spank her, I wisely decided to call my husband. I was initially going to have him pick up the other kids because the way it was going little Hannah was going to end up sleeping on the curb because she was not going to calm down enough to get in my car.

The calvary arrived (in the form of Daddy) and I took a Hannah break. I hate when my children lose it at school or church because along with trying to handle the very real parenting issue that must be dealt with, I have to tamp down my embarrassment. I was mortified that my child was screaming at the top of her lungs in the school parking lot but I will be damned if I am going to let a tasmanian devil sit in my car. I have very few absolutely zero tolerance rules but behaving in the car is one of them. If the kids are acting like asses at home - I am free to leave the room or encourage them to leave the room that I am in. But in the car you are trapped so I have very little tolerance for misbehavior. I refuse to subject myself to a crying, whining, fighting child in a close, confined space so I have been through the gauntlet with all of my children - stopping by the side of the road and standing outside the car with them while they pull themselves back together.

So now little Hannah is in bed, sleeping the way only a child who has just completed a head spinning exorcism tantrum can and I am hoping to wake up to my usual Hannah in the morning. The one who smiles sweetly and laughs loudly and knows better than to be disrespectful to Mommy.