My smiling adorable baby has grown into a man with an attitude... That's progress right? | As a parent, some days you just have to know your limits, today is one of those days. Josh is usually very agreeable. That being said, if he's made up his mind, that's that. Since he doesn't have a very good sense of time, ("yesterday" could be last year, or "tomorrow" should be right now) I usually wait until the last minute to tell him when something is going to happen. Besides, if plans change, he has a look of disappointment that stabs me in the heart. Yesterday, I told him that he has a doctor's appointment scheduled for today. He quickly turned away from me, threw up his hand and said "I don't wanna hear it." Then he walked away. |
What's a Mom to do?
Not so much.
I went to ask him to start getting ready (the man is a diva in his own right who takes at least 2 hours from start to finish to go ANYWHERE). He looked at me and back at the TV. Okay, I think, I'll give him a minute to let that sink in. I went about my business, checking in on social media and the news of the morning. A half-hour later, I went back to see if he had made any progress. He was asleep with the blanket over his head.
Well, that's that.
Choose your battles
The more I thought about it, the more I realized the battle wasn't with him. It was with myself. Which decision did I think would make me feel like a better Mom? I always want to do what's best for him. In this case, do I reinforce the "because I said so" routine because it's "best for him," or do I work around his schedule? Is it worth trying to cajole and convince him to go just so I don't have to reschedule his appointment? Then there is the doctor's office to consider. Should they be inconvenienced because Josh is "in a mood?" (Ok, the countless hours in the waiting room negated that point.)
Ultimately, I decided it was not worth rousing him and making us both more anxious and aggravated. I called to reschedule his appointment and the nurse says "Tell him I want him to sing to me when he comes in." I said, "See, that's the thing." I relayed his "don't wanna hear it" statement and she said, "And you knew you better call to reschedule." LOL! Little does she know the drama that played out in my head. To her, it was obvious that he'd have to do it another day when he'd want to sing to her.