I'm a Good Mom... Really!

Why do our kids like to do things to make us look bad? We love them, feed them, clothe them, but still they make us look like chumps at every possible turn! Since I'm the one who's home with the kids, it's usually me in the chump-chair, but yesterday, it was my husband. This lucky guy got the enviable task of taking our son to the dentist. When they got home, I knew immediately that it had been a "special" visit.

He walked through the door with steam pouring through his ears and fire blazing in his eyes. Our conversation followed something like this...

"Good visit?"
"The whining, oh the whining!"
 "Any cavities?"
" I just can't believe the whining!"
"He does like to whine, so... any cavities?"
" I'm so upset right now, I can't even believe it!"
"So... how bout' those cavities?"
"No, no cavities. His teeth are fine, he was just so obnoxious, I was SO embarrassed!"
"I hear ya sister!"

Apparently, our son complained, whined, and belly-ached through his entire dental visit. There was a lot of, "Are we done yet?" And "Ouch!" (even when the hygienist wasn't touching him). The embarrassment escalated further when the hygienist asked,

"So, does he eat a lot of fruits and vegetables?"
And our dear son said, "No." (Granted, he was being honest, but man! There he goes making us look bad again!)
Then she asked, "Do you floss?"
To which he replied, "Nope, never!"

Let's put in this way, he was so ill-behaved that the hygienist opted to skip x-rays, saying, "We don't want to push our luck." And the dentist decided to save his examination for his next 6 month visit. But guess what? The little "pain in the ars" still got stickers!

I truly felt sorry for my husband last night. The frustration, mortification, and utter confusion exuded through every one of his pores; a feeling I know all too well. But there was still a hint of, "Whew, at least it wasn't me this time!"

But today, I got my comeuppance for thinking such an awful thought. Once again, I had the extreme honor of hauling my daughter out of a childrens museum kicking and screaming. All the while, singing her three favorite words... "I HATE YOU!"