Those WTF Moments

I'm talking about those moments, you know them, when you're doing something "for" your kid(s), where you stop and say to yourself, "WTF AM I DOING?? AM I REALLY DOING THIS??". We all have them. I'm not talking indulgence either. I'm talking desperation of making YOUR life easier by extension of what their reaction will be. Anticipating and knowing your kid and their reactions.

What am I talking about with all that jibberish above? Ok, for example, last night was one of mine. B took E to do some skateboarding (another time for that post of WTF), so I decided to do some errands. Mostly, errands to do with food. Most of you know that if there is a sliver of sun, or at least an absence of rain, I'll drop everything and go to the pool. A swimming E is a tired out E. Plus, it's nice to go to the pool after work and just sit there vegging out while he swims. But, all this pool time, aside from extra mountains of laundry, also means, complete shirking of my regularly scheduled chores. Like food shopping. I needed food or I have no lunch for work, which is my main food concern. There were also some non-negotiables I needed for E.

I decided to kill a few birds with one stone and go to Bergen Town Center. I figured I'd do my food shop in Target. They usually have a decent selection. I needed Trop 50 for E and I just remembered in Target that I was fully out and had to have it for the next morning. Long story short- He is taking this liquid vitamin supplement, and it goes in orange juice. I don't want him having all the sugar that is in regular orange juice, daily. He is really against any kind of "pieces" in anything though. I tried to give him smoothies with blueberries or strawberries in the past and he flipped out because of the seeds/pieces. So you know that means pulp is a definite no-go. Of course, Target CARRIES Trop 50, but of course, Target was OUT of Trop 50 No Pulp. I bought the only one there with "Some Pulp", full well knowing what I was to be doing when I got home....

It was a long errand outing and I didn't get home until after 9p. It was one of those outings that everything I tried to do took longer or was thwarted in some way. I did emerge a victor from H&M, where I nabbed the last Despicable Me minions T-shirt for E's "Wacky World of Sports Day" at camp. So, I felt good about that one. But then, came the reality of my pulp issue and the straining began. What? Did you think I was just going to leave the pulp and have him just push it aside? Hell no. I spend like $4 on a bottle of juice and by golly, he's going to drink it. I just had to make it palatable.

I rarely indulge him in his wants. I don't buy him toys in the grocery store to keep him quiet. We've yet to get any kind of tablet or gaming system for him. As far as food, the kid barely eats. I'm not of the school of thought that I will feed him anything, crap, just to get food in him. If he's going to eat, even if it's a little, it's not going to be junky. BUT, I get not liking "pieces" - I don't like pieces. I don't like pulp. I'm sure half his food aversions are hereditary. I can't fault him for being picky. I'm picky. E and I could eat the same thing for a year and not care. So the straining...I had to take a strainer thing I use for fruit or vegetables and try to get the pulp out. I was being sort of lazy because I was tired and it was late. I took it and put it over a glass measuring cup- the kind that is like the size of two cups or two and a half? The strainer is bigger than the cup, so you know where this is going. The pulpy juice stops up the strainer quickly so juice was getting everywhere. I got it down to a science by the end of the bottle but damn, was it a pain. I just stood there, in the middle of this, cleaning up juice, thinking, WTFF?? (An extra F was definitely used). I'm straining pulp. I'm straining pulp when it COMES WITHOUT. But Target was BARREN OF NO PULP. Straining it is then.

I remember a specific day in 2008, when B and I saw someone we knew peeling a hotdog for her kid. Peeling a hot dog. We didn't have a kid so we were both laughing to each other, goofing, saying, "If we ever have to peel a hot dog.....". But you do it. You peel a hot dog. If that's how your kid is going to eat and effectually STFU, that's what you do. Not so much for the kid, not because the kid is spoiled or your precious shouldn't have to eat a hot dog skin, but to make your life more pleasant. Because without the skin, your kid can eat quietly and you might be able to eat quietly along side them. Or stare off into space- whatever that ten minutes gives you. I'll do a WTF for my own sanity any day.

Feel free to give your WTF moments. We're all in this together...