Monday, March 8, 2010

In Which I Make A Parenting Mistake

You get two posts tonight-- one house related and one Connor related.  Don't you feel special?

Anyway, I did not have one of my best parenting moments this morning.  You remember how Connor's been really anxious about the move, right?  He seems to think that all the packing means Jeremy (and possibly me) are leaving him again, and since the last few times anyone has been packing around here Jeremy has left I can't say that it's an illogical fear.  Anyway, he's been really nervous, clingy and prone to tears recently.  This morning at the apartment I was putting loads of stuff in the car with the intention of dropping Connor off at school and then swinging by the new house to unload.  I had one last load to take out, so I went ahead and put Connor in his wheelchair so that I could just take him outside as soon as I was finished.  The chair was facing the front door, and Jeremy was just down the hallway.  He could see Connor, but Connor couldn't see him.  Anyway, Connor watched me walk out the door with a load of stuff, and then as far as he could tell he was alone.  I had left him and evidently he believed all of his worst fears were being realized.

I walked back in to a hysterical child.  He refused to be comforted by either Jer or me, and cried all the way to school.  Of course once we got to school he was all smiles and apparently had a great day.  I picked him up afterwards and wheeled him into the car, where he immediately burst into tears again.  He cried all the way to the new house, and had meltdown after meltdown the entire day before finally falling asleep in exhaustion on my chest.

I feel horrible, of course.  I knew that he was upset about the move, and that he was really worried about being left behind.  I just was in a hurry and wasn't thinking about how he would react when I walked out the door.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better.  I certainly won't be making that mistake again.

Poor little guy.

~Jess

3 comments:

leah said...

Poor kiddo! I'm sending positive thoughts that the rest of this move will go by quickly and smoothly, so the adjustment can be done and Connor can settle in.

I once stepped out into the garage to start the car (it was -20 outside, needed to pre-heat it), and the boys thought I was leaving without them. Tears and hysteria were found in the mudroom, with two little sobbing boys having a panic attack. It took me half an hour to calm them down. I felt awful!

Julia O'C said...

Aw! Poor little guy! Still, if everyone's parenting mistakes were as benign as yours, the world would be a better place. Don't beat yourself over it.

Your house is amazing!!!! Can't wait for more pictures.

sungld said...

He saw that you came back. Another positive data point.

 
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