Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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New Orleans Misadventure

12 Comments

Come join Steady Mom’s thirty minute blog challenge.

On Sunday afternoon, my sons were to attend a birthday party at the Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans. I have to admit, I wasn’t feeling up to the 1 hour 15 minute drive, but I knew the boys were excited to go.

As we were heading out, my husband mentioned that the Saints game would probably let out of the Superdome around 3:30. We were going to be 30 minutes into the party at that point. No problem.

Well, big problem. We exited at the Superdome to get to the museum. The road I needed was barricaded. Before I knew where I was, I was back on Interstate 10, heading the wrong direction. Still, we’d left early. We had plenty of time.

I got back to the Superdome and asked a police officer at the barricades how to get to the museum with the road closed. He gave me some directions and I took off. Some street signs were down. I wove under and over Interstate 10, getting completely turned around. I ended up asking directions two more times then, you guessed it, the masses flowed out of the Superdome. We were stuck forever in traffic with the gas light on. The poor boys alternated between “When will we get to the party?” and “I just want to go home.”

I found gas at a cramped little station and spent 10 minutes pumping 6 gallons. At this point, we were fifty minutes late for a 90 minute party. Even though we were 1 mile from the museum, we had those Saints fans to contend with. I turned the van around and headed home.

4 hours in the van
2 disappointed boys
1 frustrated mama
3 gas station treats to make some part of the day special

I was not happy and felt terrible for the boys. I told them it was not one of the best days ever but not one of the worst, either (this was as much for myself as for them). As we drove home, listening to a book on CD, I was reminded for the thousandth time how I set the tone — intentionally or not — with my children.

How have you handled a disappointing situation with your kids?

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Filed Under: family, home, this and that

Comments

  1. steadymom says

    October 20, 2009 at 11:20 am

    You handled that so well! Talk about frustrating – I think a GPS should be under your tree this Christmas! =)

    Thanks so much for doing the challenge with me!

    Jamie

    Reply
  2. Kristi Faith says

    October 20, 2009 at 11:35 am

    I will definitely go check out the challenge….

    You handled it fine…nothing in life is perfect and even those precious children that we never want to disappoint must learn that. I usually talk with the girls when things like that happen (as you did-not the worst that could happen) and let them know I feel terrible, but at least we spent some time together in the car, right? Right?! LOL It’s so hard to let down the ones we love, even if it is hardly our fault.

    Reply
  3. Rana says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    You kept your cool under fire. You are right we do set the tone I try to tell my husband to calm down, if we are in a tizzy that just puts the kids up in arms too and then what does that get us but more chaos. Not what we need in a situation like you were in.

    Reply
  4. Natalie says

    October 20, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    Oh, that is so sad! I hate when time feels wasted like that! It’s so hard to disappoint the kids, (and mine aren’t terribly understanding about disappointing situations because they are still so little) but I do try to be positive when things don’t work out like we’ve planned.

    Reply
  5. Jeanette Levellie says

    October 20, 2009 at 4:11 pm

    Wow,I would have surely been crying! You did well, my dear.

    My kids are grown, but when one of my grandchildren encounters a disappointment, I just hold them and let them cry.

    Gee, seems like crying runs in our family, huh?

    Reply
  6. Heidi Willis says

    October 20, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Oh! I have so been there!!

    We run into this thing all the time here in DC. There will be these fabulous free events on the mall and I’ll get all excited with the kids about them, and then we get there and find out ten million other people thought so too.

    Your attitude is most definitely what will set the tone of the car… and get you through it as well. Sometimes that good attitude is harder to pull of than others, though. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Caroline Starr Rose says

    October 20, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Where in DC do you live, Heidi? I lived in Fairfax for four years.

    Reply
  8. Megan@SortaCrunchy says

    October 20, 2009 at 7:21 pm

    Sometimes in life, you just have to roll with the punches. Actually, a lot of times in life you have to be able to do that! I think you did a great job of modeling that for your children!

    Reply
  9. Sharon Mayhew says

    October 20, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    It could have been worse…someone could have thrown up in the car.

    I think it’s good to know parents get frustrated with situations too. Life is full of ups and downs, seeing grown-ups handle them is an important lesson for kids.

    I hope you have a better weekend next week.

    Reply
  10. Leah says

    October 21, 2009 at 2:45 am

    How disappointing. I’ve had to work very hard at how to show disappointment with my kids. I am SO easily frustrated and work on it everyday. But I want my girls to be disappointed but handle it gracefully. To be sad and angry even but not enraged. So we talk it out. We cry it out, we get frustrated. But we deal with the emotion. I hope things are better next time.

    Reply
  11. Rosslyn Elliott says

    October 21, 2009 at 3:24 am

    This is an excellent topic! Every mom can understand that sinking feeling when the kids are about to be disappointed.

    I also love your office-closet from the previous post. I also like writing in small spaces. It’s cosy. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Rachael Levy says

    October 21, 2009 at 4:31 am

    I think you handled that well! It’s so hard to stand back and watch my kids be disappointed, especially when my own action contributes to it.

    I also liked your post “A Wandering Mind: Fresh Air for the Brain.” Many of my own ideas come during my morning walk after I drop my kids off at school.

    Reply

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