Thursday 31 July 2008

The Bad Parenting Chronicles: Episode 7

Yesterday I managed to leave a very important member of our family at the play gym. I don't know what I was thinking. It was not my best day.

My day started off innocently enough by going to my friend Lisa's house to give her a super quick blogging tutorial while our 4 kids mostly fought, wrestled and cried. Lisa suggested we go to the play gym to let the kids burn off some energy and how could I decline? This was after all our last opportunity to hang out properly before she forsakes us all and moves to Utah this weekend. So I agreed and off we went.

I should have known from all the crying, fighting and wrestling that we had already encountered that Eli wasn't at his sociable best. Within minutes of arriving he had decided to plough a big plastic car into a one year old (which he repeated again later). He also added pinching and hair pulling to his arsenal of attack. So after several apologies to several reasonable parents (thank goodness) I was beginning to imagine a life where it would be far better to stay indoors with my Grino child (Half Gorilla, half Rhino in case you were wondering) and not have to endure the endless humiliation of having to say, "I'm so sorry that he /pulled the hair of/pinched/ran over/ your child". It just doesn't make for a relaxing day out you know. But after several trips to the naughty spot (which is always a blast to do in a public place, it is a real crowd puller) and some lunch he was back to being normal happy Eli. The Eli he is 95% of the time. Now, that Eli is just wonderful. Personally I blame the Siswick temper for the other 5%.

After that we played happily and nicely and we eventually all headed home. Well what I thought was all of us. Now for those that either know Eli or have read my blog for a while you'll know about Eli and his Gee-Gee's. (You really need to click that link for the whole story) It is true, complete, perfect love.

If Eli ever wakes at night generally it is because he wants his dummy 'doe-doe' or his Penguin 'Gee-Gee'. We have several of these penguin pals. Can you tell them apart? I know you're thinking well yeah the one third from the left is a different colour entirely. But could you tell them apart in the dark? Even the grey ones?

Eli can. A few nights ago he woke up crying I went to comfort him. He asked for 'doe-doe', I obliged. He laid down. He requested 'Gee-Gee' I couldn't see which was which (he favours the one second left) and gave him one (he sleeps with like 9 of them) he instantly shouted NO in total disgust and threw the Penguin promptly out of bed. That process was repeated several times until I searched in the dark on my hands and knees for the supremo Gee-Gee before he would settle and finally go back to sleep.

When ever he is tired, upset or sad it is not us that comforts him. It is Gee-Gee. Gee-Gee is there when he wakes up in the morning and he is there when he goes to sleep. They are inseparable.

Well until I left him at the play gym that is.

While I went to work Rob had the unfortunate experience of realising that Gee-Gee was MIA at bedtime. Gee-Gee wasn't any of the places he usually would be. Eli was not happy. He went to bed for the first time ever without his beloved penguin pal. He was not smiling about it but he did it. I can only hope all his other penguins were some comfort to him in his time of need.

When I got home Rob told me about the catastrophe. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach all night. I knew Eli would wake in the night and he'd ask for Gee-Gee and I knew from my experience several nights before that he wouldn't be fooled into accepting another less special Gee-Gee in Supremo Gee-Gee's place.

He did wake up. He did request Gee-Gee and lucky for me on this occasion he didn't register that it wasn't his extra special friend and slumbered on.

But this morning at opening time I was at the play gym the second it opened and I have never seen joy such as I saw when the Grino and Gee-Gee were reunited.

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23 lovely comments:

Unknown said...

I am so happy he was there and someone didn't take him :) I couldn't imagine trying to explain that one...

Hildie said...

Have you read the book "Dogger"? It's kind of like that but sweet (in other words, no fighting/maiming of other children are involved.)

Laural Out Loud said...

From a parent that's been there- thank goodness you found him!

4funboys said...

ha... ho penguins.

Kelli @ writing the waves said...

Reunited at last!!! So happy to hear that. I really don't like the kids to bring toys when we go anywhere because I know I'm going to end up leaving something behind. I can barely keep up with my kids. How can I be expected to remember the toys too? :)

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Reunited and it feels so good! I'm glad you found him...it would have been disaster!

Miss Lisa said...

A sweet ending to a hectic time--glad you found him!

Susan said...

Loved the Grino title! Glad you got the Supremo penguin back. You wouldn't want him writing a story someday about how his life was never the same after his mom lost his best friend :)

jOni lAnE said...

...and they all lived happily ever after. the end. :)

Kristen said...

OH MY GOODNESS!! I must have lost my mind. From your title I was wondering who in the world got left?

But I also realize was a disaster it would be to lose "the one". Anya has like 12 blankets, that thank the LORD are seriously all equal. I am now praying that one never becomes better than another.

So glad to hear that it all worked out. SO GLAD!! :)

Anonymous said...

Well done on finding him.

I was not such a super mommy as you when my middle son left his beloved toy dsachaund doggy (yes, I can still picture the bloody thing) at Disney World when he was about 2. It was never seen again -- we insisted it was keeping Mickey company! My son's sad little face haunts me to this day! *sniff, sniff*

Anti-Supermom said...

If you left your child there, now that would be 'worst mother ever' material', but being that it wasn't I think your OK! I'm so living with the 'having a bad day socially' with my oldest :)

Great, funny story.

Briya said...

Thank goodness nobody took him! My daughter had a panda she took everywhere and I misplaced him once... I thought I was going to have to go over to China and get her a new one it was so bad at my house.

Diane said...

Thank goodness you found him. You saved the day!

Anonymous said...

ugggghhh! I feel you pain! My daughter has "boy bear bear" and "girl bear bear". I finally figured out that it is the eyes that give it away. SO glad you found them!

Imagine this: you are on a plane, seated, the doors are shut. You realize that you daughter's special blanket is on the other side of that door on the chair where she left it AND THEY WON'T LET YOU OUT! Your daughter has escalated into hysterics and remains that way for the ENTIRE flight!!?? This happened to a friend of ours and they never got the blanket back! :( Horrid!

Jennifer said...

I am so happy gee gee came home! I still have my bear:) Yes, I will be 31 this year LOL:)

mom2natnkatncj said...

Okay, the whole way I'm reading this saying boy I hope they find this penguin for this kid ;). That could be very traumatic if they don't. Glad the gym still had it and glad he survived the night without him. I wonder if Gee-Gee had an adventure all his own at the gym. My daughter has a Courdoroy (sp?) book where the bear is lost at the laundry mat and he has an adventure trying to find himself a pocket before he's reunited with the right-ful owner. So perhaps Gee-Gee too has a story to tell.

Beth Cotell said...

Whew! Alls well that ends well!

I know from experience that this could have been ugly...real ugly!

BookMamma said...

WHEW!! Good on ya for recovering Gee-Gee. Something tells me all hell would have broken loose on you if he had been lost for good.

I have an Eli too! Quite the brute even though he's the youngest of my two.

Happy POW!

Wendi said...

So glad to hear it was Gee Gee and not one of the boys.
I was all worried for a second.
Not that Gee Gee is not important of course.
But WOW it could have been so much worse!
And now thanks to Krystyn I have that dumb song stuck in my head before bedtime...arghhh!
Happy weekend!!!

Jenny said...

Yeah..for Gee Gee returning! At least he is now home where he belongs.
Happy POW!

McMommy said...

Ok, I COULD NOT tell the difference between any of the penguins..except for the obvious white one. I feel for you!!!

Anonymous said...

The whole time I was praying that you found Gee-Gee. We lost my son's "blankie" and it never turned back up, so I can totally relate to the pit in your stomach. Every once in awhile he'll ask about it and if I ever found it. Sadly my story doesn't have such a happy ending. :(