Fostering Alice Blog.
Sunday.
Today is Easter Day!! I have decided today to relax a little and not worry too much about the girls chocolate consumption!! I may have had that thought a little too soon, as when we arrived at church, Alice received a glut of Easter Eggs. It seemed pretty unfair the amount she received compared to the girls, but they are used to this. She gets a lot of attention wherever we go. After church we head out to lunch. Some friends have invited us to theirs for lunch and have organised an Easter Egg hunt for the children.
For some unknown reason they decided to have the Easter Egg Hunt before lunch. What could possibly go wrong with that idea!!!! We decided to just go with the flow and stay relaxed about it all. With the atrocious weather they moved the hunt indoors and sent the children around the house with clues as to the location of the eggs. At the end of the hunt, to ensure complete fairness and avoid any tantrums, they had the sensible idea to gather all the eggs and then divide them equally between all the children.
Alice however, was convinced that the others had more than her, and started to blub. There was no convincing her, so I told the others to move away and find something else to do!! They are used to vacating the area quickly, so they went with no questions asked. Fortunately, Alice’s tantrum was short lived, when attention came from no one. She was soon back with the others enjoying some of the chocolate from the hoard from the egg hunt.
We could have predicted what would happen next. After eating the chocolate she then refused to eat any of her Sunday lunch. Fortunately, our friends did not mind. In fact they then had their own son to deal with. He started his own meltdown when given his meal as he did not want the vegetables that had been put on the plate. For once, Alice was not the most badly behaved at the table. To be honest it was a bit of relief all round, that we could sit back while our friends chose how to discipline him. I couldn’t help myself internally criticising the way they were dealing with him – indulging his bad behaviour. Then I caught hold of myself and thought how many times I have chosen then easy road to discipline – just to get through the day, or a social situation. I am sure I will have been criticised many times for being too lenient, and at other times being too harsh. It is so easy to look at how others deal with things and judge them.
I must remember that next time someone comments on the way I do things. The saying pot calling the kettle black comes to mind!!!
A Less Ordinary Fostering Family Blog.
