Passion - and a Safe Community

There is something to be said for a safe community. No one ever wants to think of a child disappearing whether it by abduction, by being lost, or simply wandering off. These things especially strike you once you've had children. I am so very lucky to live in a safe community, a community so safe it created an extreme embarrassment for me today.

My kids are incredible - I know every parent thinks their kids are amazing (hopefully). My son is sweet and tender, very thoughtful and compassionate and he has an amazing sense of "keeping the family together". He is always watching out for and taking care of his little sister. My daughter is also an amazing little person. She is gorgeous, creative, determined and passionate... maybe too passionate at times. How do these things fit together?

Well, I was proven today how sensitive my son is, how passionate my daughter is and how incredibly safe my town is. While trekking along today completing the necessary errands all parents have to get done, it was on our last stop that everything came to a screaming halt... literally. We entered the grocery store to pick up one thing, yes, ONE thing. My daughter, passionate as she is, decided she was done shopping and was not going to willfully participate. My son and I convinced her it would be a quick trip and to just come inside with us. Once we entered the store and were just inside passed the airlock my daughter started the highest, most shrill, blood curdling screaming you can imagine... of course this was also right next to a busy coffee stand inside the store. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, screaming so much in fact she peed all over the floor. She started to protest with that good ol' passion that she possesses. After several minutes, and multiple attempts at calming her, talking to her, even bribing her, she only escalated. It was at this point I realized how safe I am. Not only was the store manager standing directly behind me as I stood up grabbing my daughter, but so was store security and a local city police officer. (You know those moments that seem to last forever and you reason with yourself that she has really only been throwing a fit for a couple of minutes - guess I was wrong, she was throwing a fit long enough for management to call the police, and yes, for the police to arrive). It was at this point my son burst into tears screaming "don't take my mom to jail, NO!NO!NO!"... okay, this was not promoting confidence in my parenting to these strangers I'm sure (seriously, how does a 4 year old know about jail?). It was at this point, I was escorted to a hallway near the bathrooms and asked for identification and questioned as to what was happening. My children were also asked several times if they were alright, to which my son, with his head buried in my thigh could only answer "can we please get Sarah and go home mom?" with tears streaming down his face.

Long story short, I suppose in a few days I will be grateful for all of this. Grateful to know that people really are paying attention, grateful to know that my son really does love us, grateful to know that my daughter will never be easily influenced that she is so passionate that once she decides something that is it. For now though, I am extremely humiliated and a hurt... oh yeah, and still without marinade for tonight's dinner.