Towing & the Two-Time Rule
One of the benefits of living in the tri-state area is the proximity to the wonders of New York City. Taking advantage of that, today, Marc and I had an appointment in the city that would take approximately an hour. None of our usual babysitters were available so we decided just to bring Arianna came with us.
Since it was raining, we decided to forgo public transportation and drive in. Not a huge deal, just about an hour drive each way. We left at 2 and planned to be home by 5. It was a perfect plan, I spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry, and left some chicken defrosting in the refrigerator for dinner.
Our drive there was simple and uneventful. Arianna took a nap and I relaxed in the passenger seat. The only thing awry on the way there was the awful smell on the Turnpike. It seriously smelled like raw sewage. No wonder all the other states make fun of smelly old new Jersey.
About a block away from our destination we found an awesome parking spot on the street. Marc and I both read the street sign and determined that the spot was great. Marc paid the street meter (which oddly took him five minutes of getting drenched in the rain) while I helped Arianna out of her carseat and we searched the car for our umbrellas.
Arianna (or Sofia as she introduced herself) had a great time at our appointment. "Your name is Guy? Guy?? I never heard that name before!"
45 minutes later we were finished. We went to our car and planned on going straight home.
Only our car wasn't there...
"Maybe we parked it somewhere else." I tried rationalizing while staring at Marc in the drizzle.
We didn't. We had been towed!!!!
Marc quickly got on the phone and tried to track down which one of the several lots our car had been taken too, while I read the street sign again. I couldn't understand it. Then I looked above it and noticed another sign I hadn't read earlier that clearly stated we couldn't park there. Damn.
Since our car had just gotten towed, our information wouldn't be in the system for 2 more hours! We sucked it up and walked - in the rain - a dozen or so blocks to FAO Schwarz.
Arianna had a blast in FAO. She played with all the stuffed animals, fell in love with a Playmobil castle, and looked through some books. She even played the huge floor piano! She did great - Tom Hanks would have been so proud!
It wound up being a successful trip. I found 2 items for Arianna's Easter basket that we paid for without her witnessing, and the only thing she asked us to buy her was a $3 lollipop.
Finally, we got the location of our car and took a taxi over there. There were 16 people in line in front of us! 16!! Marc waited in line, while Arianna and I took a seat. For 50 minutes. Arianna was awesome. I explained the entire situation to her, and she was very patient. She played on Marc's cell phone until the battery died, then on mine until the battery died. Her jeans were wet up to the knee, but she didn't complain once, and I couldn't change them since her extra clothes were in the damn car. Even though it was dinner time and there was not a single vending machine or cafe anywhere near us, Arianna happily snacked on a granola bar.
After the 50 minute wait, we had to wait another 40 minutes for them to call our name and allow us to pay the cashier. An astronomical amount, if I might add.
While waiting for our name to be called, Arianna enjoyed her lollipop. A woman with her two small children came in, which provided a well needed distraction for us. First the woman tried sitting her two children down a chair or two away from us and giving them snacks. But they needed to use the restroom so that didn't last long. Afterwards, the children refused to sit down so they stood with the mother in line.
While the mom held her small son, the older child, Serenity (who was about 3) was anything but serene. She swung on the countertop. She complained her underwear was wet and pulled her pants down so low she mooned everyone. She tried to pull the smaller child out of her mother's arms. She disconnected, reconnected, and swung on the line dividers. The mother warned, threatened, reminded, and tried to distract the girl. It was obvious that she was getting pissed.
Arianna just sat on Marc's lap watching for a bit. Then she broke out into an enthusiastic and LOUD rendition of the Sofia the First theme song. The entire place went silent and all eyes were on Arianna. People laughed and commented on how cute she was, and asked me questions about her. How old is she? What is she singing? Does she sing a lot at home? Are you going to let her audition for Annie?
Once Arianna's singing subsided, Serenity went right back into disobeying her mother. Finally, the mom brought Serenity to the bathroom.
And this is where Serenity got spanked.
After the spanking occurred, the mother placed her children on chairs and told them to sit there. Then she talked to Serenity and explained some things to her - like why she needs to listen, why the mother did it, etc.
Then the mother said: "I'm only going to tell you something 5 or 6 times, then if I have to tell you again, you'll regret it."
Now, I don't believe in spankings. I don't think that hurting someone yields any results but negative ones. And I figured out why her child wouldn't listen to her right away. Lack of consistency. Saying something 5 or 6 times? Are you kidding me? I say something 2 times. Then I count 1... 2... and if I get to 3 it's a time-out. Every time. Or it's a loss of priveldge. If I tell Arianna to stop splashing in the bathtub, and have to count to 3, bathtime is over. Simple as that.
Arianna knows that she is expected to behave a certain way and I use my "two-time rule" all the time.
And the results are obvious. Arianna sat and hung out. Serenity went nuts and got a spanking.
Shortly after the Serenity incident, we got our car back! By the time we got through the door it was 8:30 and we were exhausted. But oh so happy to be home!
Since it was raining, we decided to forgo public transportation and drive in. Not a huge deal, just about an hour drive each way. We left at 2 and planned to be home by 5. It was a perfect plan, I spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry, and left some chicken defrosting in the refrigerator for dinner.
Our drive there was simple and uneventful. Arianna took a nap and I relaxed in the passenger seat. The only thing awry on the way there was the awful smell on the Turnpike. It seriously smelled like raw sewage. No wonder all the other states make fun of smelly old new Jersey.
About a block away from our destination we found an awesome parking spot on the street. Marc and I both read the street sign and determined that the spot was great. Marc paid the street meter (which oddly took him five minutes of getting drenched in the rain) while I helped Arianna out of her carseat and we searched the car for our umbrellas.
Arianna (or Sofia as she introduced herself) had a great time at our appointment. "Your name is Guy? Guy?? I never heard that name before!"
45 minutes later we were finished. We went to our car and planned on going straight home.
Only our car wasn't there...
"Maybe we parked it somewhere else." I tried rationalizing while staring at Marc in the drizzle.
We didn't. We had been towed!!!!
Marc quickly got on the phone and tried to track down which one of the several lots our car had been taken too, while I read the street sign again. I couldn't understand it. Then I looked above it and noticed another sign I hadn't read earlier that clearly stated we couldn't park there. Damn.
Since our car had just gotten towed, our information wouldn't be in the system for 2 more hours! We sucked it up and walked - in the rain - a dozen or so blocks to FAO Schwarz.
Arianna had a blast in FAO. She played with all the stuffed animals, fell in love with a Playmobil castle, and looked through some books. She even played the huge floor piano! She did great - Tom Hanks would have been so proud!
It wound up being a successful trip. I found 2 items for Arianna's Easter basket that we paid for without her witnessing, and the only thing she asked us to buy her was a $3 lollipop.
Finally, we got the location of our car and took a taxi over there. There were 16 people in line in front of us! 16!! Marc waited in line, while Arianna and I took a seat. For 50 minutes. Arianna was awesome. I explained the entire situation to her, and she was very patient. She played on Marc's cell phone until the battery died, then on mine until the battery died. Her jeans were wet up to the knee, but she didn't complain once, and I couldn't change them since her extra clothes were in the damn car. Even though it was dinner time and there was not a single vending machine or cafe anywhere near us, Arianna happily snacked on a granola bar.
After the 50 minute wait, we had to wait another 40 minutes for them to call our name and allow us to pay the cashier. An astronomical amount, if I might add.
While waiting for our name to be called, Arianna enjoyed her lollipop. A woman with her two small children came in, which provided a well needed distraction for us. First the woman tried sitting her two children down a chair or two away from us and giving them snacks. But they needed to use the restroom so that didn't last long. Afterwards, the children refused to sit down so they stood with the mother in line.
While the mom held her small son, the older child, Serenity (who was about 3) was anything but serene. She swung on the countertop. She complained her underwear was wet and pulled her pants down so low she mooned everyone. She tried to pull the smaller child out of her mother's arms. She disconnected, reconnected, and swung on the line dividers. The mother warned, threatened, reminded, and tried to distract the girl. It was obvious that she was getting pissed.
Arianna just sat on Marc's lap watching for a bit. Then she broke out into an enthusiastic and LOUD rendition of the Sofia the First theme song. The entire place went silent and all eyes were on Arianna. People laughed and commented on how cute she was, and asked me questions about her. How old is she? What is she singing? Does she sing a lot at home? Are you going to let her audition for Annie?
Once Arianna's singing subsided, Serenity went right back into disobeying her mother. Finally, the mom brought Serenity to the bathroom.
And this is where Serenity got spanked.
After the spanking occurred, the mother placed her children on chairs and told them to sit there. Then she talked to Serenity and explained some things to her - like why she needs to listen, why the mother did it, etc.
Then the mother said: "I'm only going to tell you something 5 or 6 times, then if I have to tell you again, you'll regret it."
Now, I don't believe in spankings. I don't think that hurting someone yields any results but negative ones. And I figured out why her child wouldn't listen to her right away. Lack of consistency. Saying something 5 or 6 times? Are you kidding me? I say something 2 times. Then I count 1... 2... and if I get to 3 it's a time-out. Every time. Or it's a loss of priveldge. If I tell Arianna to stop splashing in the bathtub, and have to count to 3, bathtime is over. Simple as that.
Arianna knows that she is expected to behave a certain way and I use my "two-time rule" all the time.
And the results are obvious. Arianna sat and hung out. Serenity went nuts and got a spanking.
Shortly after the Serenity incident, we got our car back! By the time we got through the door it was 8:30 and we were exhausted. But oh so happy to be home!
Comments
Post a Comment