Do Tell, Love and Hate Relationship

This weeks Do Tell topic is Love and Hate Relationships. Do you have something in your life that is a Love and Hate Relationship? For me it is all those fast food restaurant play grounds. We went to Chick Fil A last night for some ice cream. Every time we go Virginia's eyes grow about twice their size when she sees the in door play ground.

I love how happy she gets and how she hops down and starts to make a bee line for the play area. Love hearing her giggle and jump. I even love watching her try new things and climb higher then before.

But then I also realize she is heading into the lions den. Yes as we get closer you hear the roar of the little girls screaming at the top of their lungs. You see the boys running circles and pushing like they are in a demolition race. Then I look down at my little baby that I am about to willingly let go into this madness. She is only two and barely two feet tall if that. So she is still little for these play areas. But she loves going in them and trying her best to climb to the top.

Last night at Chick Fil A there were a ton of kids in the play area. The screaming girls don't brother me that much. You just have to remember to plug your ears. It is the crazy excited boys that get to me. Virginia thinks it is the best thing on earth to see all the boys running back and forth. She gets so excited that she starts to try to run with them. Which is great until some little boy decides to shove her against the wall.

Then I have to suppress my mother protection mode and not pen this little boy to the wall and shake him silly. Instead I just give him a mean look and say we don't push people that is not nice. The best part is when the crowd of kids leave and it is just me and Virginia. I convince myself the play area can hold my weight and that I can still bend my body in all different ways just because it would make my daughter happy as can be if she can reach the top of this tower playground.

She gets so happy when she gets to the top and can see Dad at the bottom. She waves and screams Daddy. All is great until the rush of kids return and then we have to some how wiggle our way down to the bottom past the stampede of kids climbing up.

We get back to the safety of our table and our ice cream cones. We enjoy our ice cream and then pack up to make our way out the door and home. It is just then that I see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are heading out the door as a father and his son are walking in. I have Virginia in my hands and Reiggin is behind me. This little boy that is maybe 10 or 12 stops and holds the door for all three of us to walk out. I say thank you and he shakes his head and says no problem Ma'am. It is at this moment that I want to rush back in and shake his father's hand and say thank you for raising such a good mannered boy.  I can only hope that we are teaching Virginia the same good manners and that one day she will be the well mannered child that is holding the door for a mom and her child.

So what in your life is a Love and Hate Relationship? And how do you handle having to deal with it? For me I am getting better and I don't try to be the over protective mommy. I know it is good for my daughter to test her strengths and try new things. I just cross my fingers and pray she comes back to me in one piece.