Earlier in the week I mentioned that I am failing in the Mom of the Year category. Yesterday was no exception. I was preparing a meal for a friend who recently had a baby. My children were busy with an activity designed to promote cognitive development watching Backyardigans while I worked. My wonderful neighbor called to see if my favorite boy could come down to play with her son. Of course, I happily called my favorite boy to the kitchen to inform him of the invitation, and he ran merrily over to their house.

About the time the Backyardigans were ready for their snacks (the show was almost over), my best girl realized her brother was gone. I told her that he had gone to play at Ryan's, and he would be home in a few minutes. Wrong answer. She had a meltdown. It went something like this..."AAAAAHHHH! I WANT TO GO TO MRS. ANGELA'S!"

The poor thing went and put her shoes on (the wrong feet) and attempted to get her coat. I really did feel sorry for her, but the answer was still no. I would like to tell you that I used all my Mommy wisdom to guide her in that moment, but no. Instead, I introduced her to the way all women prefer to deal with disappointment and stress; I got out the chocolate.

I said, "I know you are disappointed, but since you got to stay home with Mommy, you get TWO Hershey's Kisses!" Now two Hershey's Kisses are certainly a special treat, so she looked at me with wide eyes and stopped crying. It worked. She ate the candy, and she supervised as I finished preparing the meal. I guess if you measure success based on results, my method worked. Of course, thirty years from now you can look for her on the Dr. Phil show. The topic will be "How My Mother Messed Me Up By Teaching Me To Use Food as a Comfort!"

Labels: My Best Girl