Second guessing myself

You ever have an experience where your child has nearly convinced you that you are loosing your mind. Well recently, that is exactly what my oldest son did to me.

The kids have been going to camp and it involves a great deal of running around because they all go to different camps specific to their likes or needs. This specific week was one where everyone had camp exactly at the same time. Two were attending the same camp but on separate parts of the campus and the other was cross town but all had to be there by 9 am. Needless to say I was dragging the kids along at an extreme pace.

Fortunately, I was able to drop of my youngest boy, E, to his camp a few minutes early which allowed me to get to the other camp just in time for it to start. Then I would rush to pick the older kids up so that I can get my youngest from camp and head back home.

How is it that when I arrive to pick up my oldest boy, N, he is barefoot. I think to myself, okay that is  gross but whatever,  I proceed to tell him to get his shoes on and snap my fingers at him. He tells me “I don’t have shoes.” Then we start this back and forth, where I tell him he had shoes and he insist that he didn’t. I ask one of the adults where his shoes are and she tells me “He says he came with no shoes.” You ever have that feeling where all you can do is cringe at the things your children say out in public?

You could only imagine how embarrassed I was to hear that my child is telling people that I, his mother, sent him to camp with no shoes. NO SHOES! Telling EVERYONE that asked him that his mom sent him with no shoes. Now not only am I now mortified that he is making me look like the insane mother of the year but I am also starting to question whether or not I actually did forget to check to see if he had shoes on. I mean it wouldn’t be the first time we leave the house and have to turn around because someone forgot to put on shoes or PANTS! Happens way to often.

Either way, I get into a continued back and forth that he came to school with slip on shoes and they have to be here somewhere. We all begin the search while N is still insisting that he didn’t have shoes on today. Finally, we retrieve the shoes and he then isn’t convinced they are his until he tries them on. Because finding them and seeing them isn’t enough to convince him yet, he says he has to “Try them on and see if they are his.” UGH! I don’t know who I wanted to slap more, him for making me look and feel bad or myself for even allowing him to get into my head and make me second guess myself. I knew I sent that boy to camp with shoes. In the end, he tries them on as if he was Cinderella and says “Oh yeah, I guess I did have shoes on today.” Really, you don’t say.

Thankfully the camp counselor was really nice about it and I walked away slightly reassured that she didn’t think I was the worst mom ever.

Click link for a video recap of our experience.Where are the shoes


In the end, I learned something. Laugh. At one moment I felt like I was about to whack him upside his head but then I just started laughing. I mean he can’t help it, he sometimes is just forgetful and we have all had those moments. Right? Lord knows, I have lost my glasses plenty of times and they were sitting on my face. So I just had to laugh and we continued to laugh about it long after...together.

We are blessed for sure.

With love and dedication anything is possible!