Swim Lessons or Spy School

Scott had a full on rage out as we were leaving swim lessons today.

Dear Miller Swim School,

Why do you have a huge gumball machine? Why do you sell freshly baked Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies? Why Why WHY?

Don’t you know what a pain that is for the parents? Don’t you get sick of watching kids day after day throw a fit for a gumball? Or do you secretly use it as a advanced swimmer recruiting tool, do you have secret cameras set up to find the kid with enough self control to walk right past the gumballs with out even a glance toward the colorful cavity inducers… the kid who turns to his mom and says, “Those look good, but will it help me with my strokes? I think not.” And then you suck these children into your underground lifeguard training camps and use them to put all other swim schools out of business? I need answers.

Thank you,
Cori

Like I was saying, a rage out. After I shoved patiently buckled the rager in his car seat and started driving, the screaming started… “You pee-pee head mommy!” “You’re a stinky baby!” And all the other lovely things that 3 1/2 year olds come up with. I started calmly taking things away. “Now, you don’t get to watch a show after rest time.” “Now, you don’t get to have a book on tape at rest time.” Etc, etc. Then he started screaming, “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!” Over and over. And I started crying. Not because he told me he didn’t love me (please, he’s three). But because I love him so much that my heart hurts.

The way I feel about my children is the only unconditional love I have ever known. There is nothing they could ever do that would cause my love to waver. I am sure, I will not always be proud of their decisions, I will not always support their decisions, but I will always love them.  My kids could break my heart in a million and one pieces and I would still love them higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas.

I am lucky to have had parents who feel the same way about me. My heart breaks for the kids out there that do not know this kind of love. Whose parents don’t fight for them. The kids know it. They’re smart.

Everyone needs to love and be loved completely. Everyone also needs to have a dog at some point in their life.