Picture it...a beautiful fall day in South Carolina, I'm excited to scoop Jake up from school, hear about his day, and take him to a playdate. I have Emma Claire on my hip and rush to his classroom door at noon.
"He had a great day" the teacher announces. Just that morning she told me "he is always so sweet, I mean always". We head out of the school and the children are running around the large tree in front of the school as they often do. Jake wants to join them and a few minutes won't make us too late.
When it is time to round him up he refuses. I grab him and tell him 5 more minutes. I know he is not happy at the hand of five fingers I flashed at him and I realize this probably isn't going to go well. I usually rack my brain quickly, shuffle through the tricks I have and pull the best for the situation, BUT I have none today. None??? I haven't been in this situation before, one child on my hip and one who is gaining length and strength all too quickly. I go for it!
"It's time to go Jake. We are going to Chic-Fil-A to meet up with your buddy!" He refuses. He not only refuses, he throws himself in the grass like a first time tantrum. I can handle this...ignore... He runs off. I finally catch him and scoop him up onto my other hip and head to the car. (Yah, it's called mama adrenaline.) One step, two, three, four, PLOP out of my arms by his will and onto the parking lot ground. I am boiling mad. "Get out of the road," I demand. Nothing. Again and again I demand and nothing so, I scoop him up by his arm and set him on the sidewalk where he is safe. He lies there. I look at him and I look up at the 20 + moms and who knows how many children still enjoying their afternoon right in front of us. I am now boiling mad and boiling embarrassed. I knelt there with Emma for what felt like ten hours. :)
Finally, a kind mother asked how she could help. Thank you Lord - You almost gave me more than I could handle!
As I packed the kids into the car and had a chat with Jacob I could hear a few moms on the side saying how they remembered those days and how they had been there oh too many times. How kind I thought. How nonjudgemental. How I wanted to cry at that moment for their sinciere understanding. I mean, judge me; no problem. I was doing the best I could after all, but to hear the total opposite was warming.
I guess God almost gave me more than I could handle, but He also gave me the people I needed in that moment, the words I needed to hear in that moment, maybe even a lesson I needed in that moment...
