J. Shalomar
Be strong for your children.
“No! I want to walk by myself! I don’t want to hold your hand!” August yells furiously as he attempts to pull his hand from mine yet again. We’ve been out on our nightly walk with my mother’s twenty pound shitzu-poodle for all of three minutes and August has apparently decided he’s ready for a change of pace.
“Bubba, we’re walking in the road. It’s nighttime and cars might not see you as they drive by. I don’t want you to get hurt, baby, that’s why you have to hold my hand.”
“August, you need to listen to your mama,” Mother chimes in.
August seems to ponder this for a moment and then abruptly stops and drops to his knees in the middle of the road.
“August Grey!” I exclaim, taken by surprise.
“AUGUST!” My mother barks.
“Mother, not now! August get up.”
August sets his chin and stares up at me with his big brown eyes. He holds my gaze for a long moment, then shakes his head. “No.”
“August, get up from there or I’m going to give you something on your bum-bum!” My mother hollers from down the road.
“Mother, you are not helping right now!” I squat down next to my stubborn child, still gripping his hand in mine. “What is it you want son?” I ask. “Do you want to hold the dog’s leash with Grandma?”
“Yes,” he says, “And I want to walk on the edge of the sidewalk.”
“Well, if you want to do those things you need to use your words. Mommy is many things, but a mind reader isn’t one of them.” I tilt his face up with my free hand and make sure he is looking at me before I continue. “You need to use your nice words and tell Mommy what it is that you need or want. Do you understand?”
“Yes… May I please hold the leash and walk on the edge of the sidewalk?” August asks in a wheedling tone.
“Yes, you may.” I answer. “So long as you hold Grandma’s hand the whole time.”
“Okay!” Like a flash he’s up and running down to where his grandmother stands waiting.
Having overheard the entire conversation, she’s ready with the leash and a hand held out to him. As he takes both, she smiles down at him. Mother is all talk when it comes to disciplining that boy. She hasn’t the heart to inflict what she perceives to be suffering on him. He is her only grandchild and the absolute light of her life.