A Lite Touch*

Well, not really. I have three interesting and energetic companions. But Mike had three speaking engagements out of town this weekend and so I've been a single parent.

We were supposed to go along and visit family in Eastern WA but Kyrie had a strange on/off fever for two days earlier in the week and Friday morning Ben woke up telling me he was sick. He had told me he didn't feel well Thursday night and with Ben, well, we exercise caution. So we stayed home. He seemed fine all day after Mike left and then last night coughed through the night. So it was good we stayed home.

We all trooped to the store today to get Ben some more homeopathic cough syrup. We were headed home when I saw Kyrie hand Everleigh three colorful bracelets I'd never seen before. I asked where they had come from and she calmly said, "Fred Meyer." Yes, fun.

At this point, it was past lunch time and well into Everleigh's nap time and she was rubbing her eyes and telling me she was tired. Ben was "starving." But I knew we had to go back. Kyrie was defiant; she was not going back. So I detoured into McDonald's and bought two Happy Meals. At this point, the sobbing started as she realized I did mean business. We went back to the store and I settled Ben next to Ev in the backseat with lunches and went into the store. (And yes, I feel guilty doing this but he's 8 and how insane is it that I feel bad about leaving an 8-yr old in the car when I had friends practically babysitting at that age?)

Kyrie and I went in to the store. She was sobbing all the way and I went to the customer service counter where two women, one younger, one middle-aged were chatting. I went to the middle-aged one who took one look at us and KNEW. She said calmly to me, "My daughter did this at her age. And I did the same thing you're doing. And the clerk said, It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. Not what I wanted her to hear." Yes, Kyrie was there but crying so hard and she couldn't see over the counter. I never did get her to speak or make eye contact but the bracelets went back; the lady did affirm that her daughter (now 30) had not succumbed to a life of crime but did remember the incident well.

We were nearly home before Kyrie was willing to be penitent. Ben was deeply disturbed by the whole thing. But the minute she said she was sorry and would never do that again, he piped up with, "Here Kyrie, you can have the Happy Meal toy." Ev gave her a few leftovers and then Kyrie and Everleigh proceeded to take two of the longest naps they've had in a long time. (Oh, the Mom did too.)

*Title by Judy