No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

This weekend was all about letting my kids be kids. Daddy was not working, which was a treat, so we lined up lots of family time with activities designed to be fun for all. Unfortunately, fun was the goal and was often just out of reach.

Saturday's plan was to take the kids to the Air and Space Museum ( the good one out near Dulles). What a perfect rainy day activity, right? Lots of room indoors to let the kiddies run and play and lots to look at. 

We successfully made it outside the beltway without my husband going into shock (he thinks anything beyond Falls Church is basically the boonies) which was a great start and both kids happily ate lunch in the car so we could save time. 

Once we entered the parking lot at the museum things began to sour on us quickly. As we were getting Bruno out of the car, a huge airplane left Dulles airport and the noise completely scared him so he began to cry and whine. Once both kids were successfully loaded in the double stroller, it started to rain cats and dogs. Of course we were about a hundred miles away from the entrance, so I started to jog while pushing the kids in the stroller (uphill) while my husband attempted to shield the children from the rain with our one uncooperative umbrella. 

The umbrella kept flipping inside out and the rain guard was basically useless as it kept blowing off. As we all got drenched the kids both began to cry and scream, making the unpleasant outing to the museum that much worse. Fortunately, the dry museum and all the airplanes lifted everyone's spirits just enough to get us home in time for their naps.

The next day was Sunday and the annual Halloween parade in our neighborhood-an absolutely awesome event and one of the few times each year I actually let my children skip their naps. Since the parade is in the middle of prime napping hours, my husband and I always feed them early, skip their naps, let them eat too much sugar and let them enjoy being kids for the day, knowing that they will both crash and burn and go to sleep by 5:30 p.m-Yes, even the 2.5 years old.

Everything went according to plan-fed the kids an early lunch and amazingly, got them both into their costumes with no goading and no tears-YFM (Yeah For Mommy!). It was a perfect fall day with just the right amount of sunshine and breeze, so we all happily headed off to the parade. Both kids loved the parade and we all enjoyed cookies and lemonade at the finish. Our kids ran around on the beach with the other Barcroft kiddies and my husband and I actually got to catch up with some neighborhood friends.

As planned, full-on kiddie meltdowns (times two) went into effect promptly following our arrival back at home around 4p.m. The sugar high that had given added spunk to the kids- without- naps had sent them careening into crankyville. 

4 p.m is too late for a nap and too early for bed, so my husband and I had no choice but to endure. Our little ones that were so happy just an hour ago were now screaming messes. Our plans to be indulgent parents who do all these great festive things with ours kids had backfired, leaving us stressed out and the kiddies tired and overwhelmed. We knew they would crash early, but 4 p.m was about an hour ahead of schedule.

By 5:30 p.m both kids were fed, bathed and asleep, and both parents were drinking wine. Did everyone have a good time during this fun-filled family weekend? Yes and no. At certain points it was fun for all, but at other times it was stressful and hard and rainy and wet, but if there are two things this weekend's events reminded me of its that: 1) I have really good kids. I mean, my kids skipped their naps and only meltdowned after being overly tired and overly stimulated. That's pretty darn good, considering some kids are like that all the time. 2) Life in the parent hood is all about weekends like this. Doing things as a family and never knowing what will happen. That's an adventure and that's what being parents is all about. Children are unpredictable, but that is also what makes this job so worthwhile.

The next time your kids are making you crazy, just think of me pushing a double stroller up a huge hill in the rain, running towards the door at the Air and Space Museum as my two screaming, wet children cry their eyes out and you will smile knowing that being a parent is a job worthwhile and that when you have bad days, you are not the only one. All parents suffer sometimes.