Deadly combinations

Today I had to wait in line with both my children for 45 minutes.  Service Ontario and toddlers, are two things that I try to avoid at all costs.  But, out of necessity, today was the day I undertook the battle. 

You see, Katie is in the process of switching insurance companies.  As a “house-sharer,” when  she needed my license number for her new company, I discovered it had expired over 2 months ago!  (and had the wrong address on it.... Whoops... )  With her insurance running out in a few days, and me scheduled to work the next few, I knew I needed to get it done this morning.   I had no time to arrange a sitter, and a playdate scheduled for the later morning, and so I just  decided to go for it.  

I made my best case scenario plan up last night.  I would arrive at service Ontario 15 minutes before they opened, and hopefully be in and out.  If there was already a line up, I would take the umbrella stroller for Janna and some sugary snacks and books to entertain them while waiting for our number.

Well, we made it 10 minutes before opening, and I was feeling quite proud of myself for getting the kids ready and out the door on time.  However, my heart sank over two things when I walked into the building.  I counted, and there were 26 people already in line!  They weren’t even supposed to be open, yet!  And secondly, there was no “take a number and sit to wait.”  There weren’t even any chairs.  It was an old-fashioned- roped-off- follow the bends- wait in an actual line, system.  Ahhhh!   Making 2 little children stand and do nothing for even one minute is hard enough!  We put Janna in the stroller with a book, and I tried quietly entertaining Jesse with songs and stories and questions.  About 10 minutes in, he sat on the floor, sighed, and said, “I don’t like this room.  I want to leave.”  And Janna started rocking and bouncing violently in her flimsy umbrella stroller while squawking, in a desperate attempt to communicate, “ I want out of this.”   Jesse decides to be the boss and lecture Janna on her behavior, and while I’m trying to tell him to simmer and that mommy is the boss, he lowers his head, glares at me, points his finger in my face and and booms in a deep voice for the whole room to hear, “ No mom.  You are not allowed to talk to Janna.  I’m allowed to do it.   I don’t have to listen.”  

Jesse is in this testy stage where he is trying to assert some space and independence, and while I have been trying to give him certain opportunity to do this, talking to me like this is NOT OK.  He knows it, but the other thing the smart little cookies has picked up on, is that there isn’t too much I can do about this behavior in certain situations..... like this one.   

Now, it’s one thing if you are stuck somewhere loud and open, or private and small to deal with misbehaviour.  However, in a room that is DEAD quiet as 30 people wait in close confines with NOTHING TO DO, you just know that everyone is watching you and how you are dealing with your kids.  And I just HATE that feeling.    HATE, HATE, HATE, it.  I bent over to his level and did my best to communicate quietly that he needed to stop with the ‘tude, and NOW.   And I could tell he was just assessing how much he could get away with as we had our little chat.

Anyways, 45 minutes later after a few more talks with Jesse, many ridiculous games and rounds of Eye-spy, Janna is seriously losing it, and Jesse is starting to try and sneak out, we finally get our turn.  I was bracing myself for the news that there was some document I needed, or maybe even that I was at the wrong place, but 2 minutes later I walked out 50 bucks poorer, but with a valid driver’s license.  Thank the Lord.    

I hope to never have to mix service Ontario with a 1 and 3 year old again.  However, I must say that overall, I get less stressed out by my kids and find myself taking on bigger things with them than I would have a year ago.  I’m sure that in a few months when we add baby 3, I will look back and think life was a piece of cake with 2, and laugh in the face of any such outings with just 2 children.  So, for now, I am happy we got the document, nobody was hurt, and we weren’t kicked out of the building J

Hope you’re all having a wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for reading, I’m out