Breaking point......
Everyone has one. You know that point where you justify that it will be easier to get forgiveness than permission. Even after you have been told a billion times not to do something. Something in your head clicks, you say screw it.....and decide that doing whatever IT is will be worth any amount of trouble you get into AFTER you do it. We all have been there. Even sweet Alex. This weekend. I laugh even as I sit here and think about what must have been running through that little head of his when he decided what the hell...I’m doing it. Because I didn't actually SEE the offense. But oh can I imagine. There was a certain build up that happened all day that led to "his moment". You see the girls next door had a birthday party this weekend. And like the parties for the last few years around here, they become shared parties. There’s only a good 40 ft or so of space between our houses. Just wide and perfect enough to fit water slides and bounce houses. And our kids and their kids just have become one big bunch of all our kids on the weekends. We love it. We love the parties. It’s one of the things we are so going to miss when we move. Saturday was a party day for the girls. And they were having a water slide. Except Saturday was also one of those days. End of the season ball tournaments back to back for both boys, raining like all crap the night before, boxes stacked to the ceiling at home since we are in the middle of packing to move, and one car since John flew in for the weekend. Alex had been fighting a cold for a week. Not bad but of course on Saturday he wakes up with yellow snot and a nice cough. Perfect. So the decision was made to run Landon and John to their tournament, drop them off, run me and Alex to the dr, then back to finish tournaments and go play at the party. We were hoping we would leave the doctor office with antibiotic script in hand and orders that it will be ok for Alex to play ball and of course slide to his heart’s content. Let me preface all of this with the most the temp ever reached on Saturday was maybe 77 degrees. And overcast. And a bit breezy. And it had been raining. Mother Nature seems to have lost her mind this year and somehow in the middle of May I find myself running around in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Global warming in reverse? Who the heck knows. All I know is that I have a little boy who is 6 years old and all of 47 pounds soaking wet on a good day. And will shiver violently like a naked polar bear in the middle of the North Pole when its 98 degrees out and a breeze catches him the right way. No body fat. None. Zero. I already foresee a water slide issue. We go to leave and there it is. Mocking him already. This is 9:30 a.m. It’s huge. It’s blown up. It’s sitting there. Two big fish on the end. Waiting for hours of sliding fun. "Mom I really want to go on the water slide." "I know buddy. We will see what the dr says." "No mom I AM GOING on the slide." "Ok Alex we will discuss it later." Get to the docs office. I list all of Alex’s symptoms. Cough and snotty nose x 7 days. I then try to look pitiful (as if the no makeup and crappy clothes weren't enough). I explain that "We're moving in 2 weeks. I just can’t have him sick during the move. And it’s the last week of school. And I’m packing. And his dad is out of town during the week. And I REALLY WANT TO TREAT HIM AGGRESSIVELY. Please. And thank you." Doc looks at me. "Wow. That's a lot. Yea he’s got the same cold that everyone else has." And begins the list of honey, humidifier...blah blah blah. I did not hear antibiotic. I’m shot down. "Nope. Won’t work at this point. If he’s worse in 7 days bring him back. Although he will get worse before he gets better." I stare at him. Like he has two heads. Did he not just hear my IM MOVING story? Fine. Can he play ball? "I would let him rest today." Wohoooooo I think. No chasing the ball tournaments in one car. Can he slide on a water slide today? "I wouldn't advise it. It may make him worse." Oh. Crap. I hear a very loud sigh beside me. All I can think is "I’m screwed. This is gonna be baaaaad." Immediately two steps out of office I hear "Mom I want to go on the slide." "I know buddy but we can’t risk you getting sicker. And you heard the doctor. He said you can’t go.” ‘I don’t care mom. I’m not sick. I want to go.” This continues all the way home. And then we pull in. And it takes on a whole new level. He sees the slide. His best friends in the whole world are on it already….one hour before the party. Which is cool because this is the free hour before ALL the other kids come. “Moooooommmmmmmm! I want to go on the slide.” “I know buddy. I’ve already explained this. You can’t go.” I drag him inside. He stops at the playroom. Drops to the floor. And then commences for 6 minutes straight to-face down in the carpet while kicking legs- repeat I WANT TO GO ON THE SLIDE. If I were more tech savvy I would insert a video below. Because I took one. You know….to embarrass him with when he’s 16. I’m not. But I’m sure you can imagine. Did I mention John was at a game with Landon during all of this? I let the fit happen and then pick him up and offer anything. Lunch out, a movie, a new toy…..because it really was breaking my heart. Nope. Nothing works. Pitching a fit continues. So insert MY breaking point. I decide that’s it. I gather him up and off to Publix we go. For food. He spies the slide. On the way out. Wailing begins. Must remember to pick up booze at Publix. We shop and get back. He had calmed down. But now all the kids are arriving for the party. So we go over to chat some. Well, I do. Alex stands in the middle of the yard-our yard-and pouts. And looks sad. Like he’s lost his best friend. And stares at everyone sliding. It’s awful. Like some sort of torture. And I’m occasionally getting the evil eye because I am the “torture leader”. I call him over. He has the shivers just from standing there in jeans and a shirt! I talk to him about this. “No I don’t mom! It’s hot out!” Yea. Boiling. Not really. Thank goodness about that time John comes home. Then the decision has to be made….do we let Landon slide since Alex isn’t? Because Alex decided it’s not fair for Landon to go if Alex doesn’t. Then LANDON starts crying. I want to cry. So John decides he’s taking Alex bowling and to play video games and I will watch Landon slide. All parties seem in agreement and happy. A few hours pass. They come back. Kids come and go, pizza and cake are eaten. Some kids are even on the trampoline and running around by now so Alex has friends to hang with. Landon is out back playing in the mud. But it’s still there. And kids are still on it. And it’s still taunting him. After a long day I am exhausted and give John the boys. I go in around 6, shower and crawl in to bed to watch TV and rest. Around 6:30 John walks in and says this “You’re child with the good sense, just lost it.” At first I think “We have one with that???” And then I think-and ask ‘Which one is that???” He responds “Alex”. John had left the “scene” of the slide for a few minutes to do something. When he came back Alex was ON THE SLIDE. In his clothes. Yep. He broke. At some point, in his little head he decided screw it. He decided that the one slide down that slide would be worth all the trouble he would be in. The damn thing had been taunting him for 8 hours. He couldn’t take it anymore. I laugh just thinking about it. I can only imagine how excited he must have been…after a day long of build up and lots of no’s…..he was just going to do it. And do it he did. John couldn’t get mad at him. I couldn’t either. One-that took balls. I’m not even kidding. And Alex just doesn’t ever act like that. Two-its funny. I mean it’s really one of those moments where you know you should be mad at your kid, but you can’t and you laugh. Yeah. One of those moments. I wish I could have seen him. At what point did he decide to make a run for it? How fast did he scoot his skinny little cold legs up those stairs? Was he laughing all the way down planning another run at it before John could get out there? Oh how I wish I could have seen it. John talked to him. Wrapped his shivering little butt in a towel and put him in a hot bath. He came down the stairs afterwards. I put him in bed with me and just asked “Why?” His response….. “I don’t know mom. I just had to.” Yea. I get it. Breaking point. And sometimes you just have to. J
