Don't let the innocent face fool you...

Don't let this innocent looking face throw you off. She indeed is a public tantrum thrower! I know, you think that beautiful little girl would be all sweetness, well I'm here to prove you wrong.

It started out as a normal day. The boys headed off to their friends house for a play date. I was babysitting my niece Matyx and we decided to head out to the stores to get some Christmas shopping done. All was going well at Costco. Our purchase was in our cart and we were standing in the checkout line. Macy was being a bit stubborn and pulling on the cart and bumping it into the people behind us. Matyx was sitting in the cart happy as a clam when I had to pry Macy's fingers off the cart so we could go through the line. Then the screaming started! I have no idea where those lungs came from but boy can this girl scream, and LOUD! I held her on my hip while the screaming commenced and intensified. Soon all eyes were on me. It seams like one of those bad dreams when the room goes silent and all eyes focus on the center of attention. I'm not even kidding when I say ALL eyes were watching me wrestle this screaming inconsolable flailing child while trying to push the cart. Soon she was hitting me and I lost my grip. She slid to the ground where I had to grab her any which way I could. By now we are in the biggest tantrum she has ever thrown. I was still doing ok until I started seeing acquaintance I knew. Now I knew I wasn't just an anonymous mother with her screaming child. There were people there who knew me! There was Aiden's computer teacher standing in the food court line giving me the "I'm sorry smile" then there was some mom from the kids gymnastics class. Then the bishop of my church and his wife were there. Bishop Leonard came right to my rescue and grabbed Macy who started screaming louder. Then I couldn't contain myself any longer. I started to cry. The tears just started rushing down my cheeks. I believe it was embarrassment that brought it on. Embarrassment that this was my child and that I couldn't control her and that a hundred people were witnessing it. The Bishop gave Macy back to me while he pushed Matyx in the cart and I couldn't even wipe my tears. So I'm sure I was a sight to see.

I held my cool though. I could have gone off and beat the child. That is exactly what I felt like doing, but staying calm worked even better. We both cried most of the way home and then I calmly placed Macy in her room, left the door open and told her that mommy wasn't happy and she needed to stay in her room until I could cheer up. She didn't defy me, and just stayed put until I came back to talk to her about it.

In my 8 years of motherhood, this by far was the worst tantrum any of my kids have thrown and I hope it will be the last.