Sssshhhhh!

There are few places I won't drag the kids to. From the moment Ian was born, I learned my lesson the hard way in what I could expect from him in non kid-friendly places. I've come to realize that my kids are very different. Despite having the same set of parents and being exposed to the same environment, what might not work for Ian, is a winner for Sam.

Take for example my Weight Watcher meetings. Long ago I discovered that Ian outgrew being good for the length of the meeting at Weight Watchers. Therefore, I made certain to pick a weigh-in day that would have Ian busy at school. Unfortunately a school holiday fell on my usual day and I decided to tackle the unthinkable and bring both kids in, not just for a quick weigh-in, but to stay for the meeting as well. I had my strategy in place and was prepared with the iPod Touch (loaded with new episodes of Ian's favorite shows), headphones, snacks, and juice.

It was the middle of Winter and Sam was still using the infant carrier. As usual, I was running 10 minutes late and the meeting was already in full swing. Ian was very excited about getting to go and couldn't wait to find us a few seats. The room was packed and Ian heads straight for the front row. I never sit in the front row and am dying at the thought of us being the center of attention as we are passing each row. I quickly try to take Sam out of her car seat and remove her coat, hat and blanket, while trying to get my sweatshirt, sweatpants and shoes back on. Meanwhile, Ian is asking for the iPod Touch and a snack. While juggling Sam I give Ian the electronics and he manages to turn it on and put the headphones on. He picks a "Backyardigans" to watch and loudly starts singing the theme song with the show. OMG! The leader looks at me, takes a deep breath and smiles. At this point, I am lifting one of Ian's headphones off of his ears and trying very hard to whisper to him that he needs to be quiet and to stop singing. Ian can't hear me and shouts back "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" I attempt again to get him to be quiet and he is still singing like he is the only one in the room. It was a disaster in gigantic proportions! I fully realize how disruptive we are being and feel the enormous amount of disrespect oozing out of us. I tell Ian we need to leave right now and he begins to throw a temper tantrum that he isn't done yet or ready to leave. I get up and quickly make my way to the back of the room, complete with hands full holding Sam, her winter layers, dragging a screaming toddler and my shoes, which I never really had the chance to put on, all while pushing the stroller. As we are passing the attendees yet again, I apologize profusely and say this will never happen again.

Sam, on the other hand, loves to cheer on the big losers each week. Every time someone announces overcoming a challenging situation or hit a weight loss milestone, she is the first one to put her hands together and clap. If she is not giving the leader her total attention and having her eyes follow the leader's every move, she is making many fans in the row behind her by blowing them kisses. Lots and lots of kisses. The weight watcher participants eat it up. Fortunately, these type of kisses carry no calories.