Pay Attention to Popper

A few months ago we were out at Angelo's for pizza on a Friday night.  We were having so much fun I didn't want the night to end, so I suggested we go to a 7:05 movie to see Rio.  We'd never taken the kids to an evening movie - ever.  Between sitting through a two hour movie and arriving at, basically, bedtime I didn't know what would happen.  We got our popcorn and found our seats and Mark started complaining about his seat being wet.  So, you sat on some spilled pop, no biggie.  But he kept going on and on whispering and standing up.  Finally he went to the bathroom, only to find out someone apparently had an accident during the previous showing. 

He had to leave the movie, go home and shower and change clothes.  I thought it was terribly gross, but yet funny.  Of all people to sit in urine.

Even though he missed half the movie that night still goes down in my memory as a great great night.

Ever since then we're a movie going family.

We saw Hop the night before Easter.

Last week we saw The Bee movie for free in the morning.

Yesterday morning I took the kids to see Mr. Popper's Penguins.  We were planning to go for two weeks.  We noticed every single billboard and sign with Jim Carrey's face on it.  We got to the mall right when it opened and hit the massive clearance at Gymboree (two days in a row) then headed over to the movie.

We got our usual enormous popcorn, that Christian eats for over an hour and mommy enjoys the largest Diet Coke money can buy.

The previews ended and Christian whispered, "Is it over?" with his little mouth jammed full of popcorn.

The movie began and I kept looking back and forth at their little faces mesmorized at these little penguins.

We were all having a wonderful time and then Christian was done with his popcorn and he was ready to leave.  Since that wasn't really an option I pulled out a granola bar to keep him occupied for another five minutes. 

That wasn't enough to get us through the last 30 BORING minutes of the movie.  I walked him down the steps and left V peacefully watching the movie in her seat.  We played games around the corner.  The watched the movie from the bottom steps of the theater.  It went on and on and he started yelling and being so silly and shouting ridiculous things.  I wanted to leave soooooooo bad, but I didn't want V punished.  I was thinking: Cars 2 next week??  I don't think so. . .unless I pack up the whole pantry for the little dude.  I kept wanting him to pay attention to Mr. Popper but since even I was losing interest, he really couldn't be totally blamed. 

Fast forward to today.

He was a little rambunctious which isn't that unusal but he kept getting a little worse and a little worse.  Just trying to push my buttons.  I'm having a hard time figuring out when it's just him being a silly and funny little boy and when to put a kabosh on it.  We were running our last errand of the day and Christian starts yelling and thinking he's being funny.  Then I pick him up and he's swatting at my face.  So I took away the glow sticks he wanted and then all hell broke loose.  We starts SCREAMING (I mentioned he screamed earlier - but that was more like a yell not a scream like this).  I decided this is my chance.  I don't want to.  I want to just hand him the damn glow sticks to keep him quiet and get out of there.  But, nope.  I was putting my foot down right then and there and everybody in that store would know it, unfortunately.

At one point he was parallel to the floor and he was screaming, "I will be a good boy now Mommy!!  I want those baaaaaccckkkkk!!!"  I continued putting the items on the conveyorbelt and paid with one hand.  Victoria waited quietly by the door with a little smirk hopping up and down.  She was going to get her item. 

I could tell by his sobs this was going to be a lesson learned.

Sometimes it's easier to give in and give them what they want immediately.  Sometimes that's ok.  But sometimes you gotta bite the bullet and be the parent everyone is staring at and judging and maybe praying for.  Today was that day.