I know there are times when you too would love to drop kick your children through the living room window. Come on admit it. It’s not all sweetness and apple pie. Not by a long shot.
It pains me to write about one of those times. However, in my last post – March Madness 2014– I promised to reveal the choice episode of when my son offered to take care of everything to do with his rabbit in preparation for a trip and managed to forget a key item. This is that post. I dare you to read it and see if you could have reacted in a calm, patient and perfect parent manner.
Honey Bunny Baby
“Mom I know you’re stressed about packing. Let me look after Bonanza.”
What? Am I hearing things? My fifteen year old son is offering to look after the travel necessities of the rabbit? That’s huge. You see this rabbit doesn’t travel light. At the very least she requires a five-day stash of fresh timothy hay, her travelling crate, her litter box, her litter, her food pellets and her fencing. Because we are travelling to a relatively remote island up BC’s west coast we need to bring everything she needs. It will be next to impossible to replace anything.
Allow me to introduce you to Bonanza.
Normally she goes to the wonder that is Michele (a gem of a woman who is worthy of her own post) whenever we travel. However it’s a short trip and very bunny friendly so Bonanza and her baggage are coming along. So is our dog who only needs her food. I happily volunteer to take care of her.
It’s important to stress that timing is key. The island is two ferry rides and a water taxi trip away. If we miss the first ferry the trip grows from seven hours to nine in a blink. No worries. My son assures me he has everything under control so my daughter and I focus on food and our luggage.
The next morning we’re up at dawn. I leave the loading of the car to my two and do last-minute dishes and cleanup. We do a neat little series of sidesteps to avoid each other as a steady stream of things are carried outside. It takes a good twenty minutes before they sound the “all packed.” I settle behind the wheel and start the car.
“OK. Everybody got everything?” I purposely make the question open-ended. No need to single out my boy. However, I would like assurances that he has everything under control.
“Absolutely Mom. I packed it all. We’re ready to roll.” What a precious honey bunny. Well done son. I’m proud of you.
We pull out of the driveway and once again sing out the requisite travel mantra: “Another McKenzie Ad-Venture!”
With very little traffic on the road at this ungodly early hour we arrive at the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare. I’m feeling very magnanimous. My two are both finally old enough to volunteer of their own volition. It feels so good and my heart is light.
“We’ve got time to walk the dog. Come on. I’ll treat you both to a hot chocolate.”
My daughter leaps out to clip on the dog’s leash and my son clambers into the back for his jacket.
An audible gasp snags my attention. “Uh Mom? We’ve got a situation.” I refuse to fully absorb this comment and reluctantly steal a look at the speaker. He’s truly now paler than pale; my radar is on full alert. I join him at the back of the car. Peering in I see everything on the list. The hay, the pellets, the fencing, the kitty litter bag, the kitty litter box. But where’s the crate?
The penny drops. The crate is back home on the kitchen table. With Bonanza inside.
She won’t survive without food or water. We have to go back.
My world is suffused in red. He had one job. ONE. I can’t look at him. My daughter quietly unclips the leash from the dog, my son slips into his seat. The car doors are closed with a whisper. The car dashboard clock reveals we have 40 minutes before our ferry departs. The return trip will take 60. The exit is miles away; much faster to back up through the ticket booth.
The frantic shouts of “Madame! What do you think you’re doing? Madame! Go forwards!!!” mean little. All I can think of is the disappointment of the folks when they learn we’ll be late by at least two hours, their carefully prepared dinner will now be spoiled and the fact that we’ll arrive in the dark.
Yes, before you ask, I am familiar with “teachable moments.” What a splendid opportunity to choke back my petty anger and rise up magnificently to model supreme adult patience for my two darlings. In a perfect world. But not this world. Frankly, I say nothing. I can’t. Words have fled. My children, wise to their mother’s imperfections utter not a peep and we fly home in a blur. The only sound is my hand repeatedly pounding the steering wheel.
It isn’t until we’re finally sharing some fries in the cafeteria on the first ferry that the voices resume.
“You drove through the ticket booth backwards Mom!” Giggles my son.
“You passed Bonanza 47 times on your way to the car and you couldn’t remember to bring her along?” I volley back.
It’s done. We’re over it. We’re all in one piece.
Parenting? Twenty years into it and I’m still learning something new every day. Honey Bunny Baby indeed.
Enough about me and the Honey Bunny Baby. I’m curious about you. What would you have done in this situation? Are you a model perfect parent always each and every day? Or have your kids done something that triggers that irrational anger that threatens to explode into molten lava? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
38 Responses
Model parent? If by model you mean, does the best she can but sometimes the shit hits the fan, then yes. Totally model. I would’ve dropped a bad word if my son had left the bunny at home!!! Grrrrr!
Bonanza is the SWEETEST!!!!!!!
You don’t want to have been inside my head during that mute drive home. I couldn’t speak or there would have been no end to the verbal abuse. No end. On a happier note yes Bonanza is a poppet. She is really good natured as well. Lord- just reminded me I have to feed her! Thanks Beth!
Oh Kelly – yet another typikel adventure!!
Oh and yes, model parent, angered situation – too many to share. I think they call that “normal”!! But no a night goes by that I don’t thank the stars above for my three – situations and all.
Love the story, enjoyed the laugh and gotta love that Bunny!! Now was Bunny rewarded amply for her photo shoot!?!
Exactly Janice. I am the same – not a night goes by that I don’t thank the stars above for my two. I am just grateful they both know I love them unconditionally. Even when I’m apoplectic with rage …
Oh forgot about Bonanza. Yes speaking of model. She got an extra handful of Timothy hay! Didn’t give her extra pellets though as I dread bunny lady Michele admonishing me about her weight. Now there’s an upcoming post …
OMG ! I applaud you for keeping your cool, relatively ! Not sure that I would have done the same. I think some bad words may have escaped, but hopefully only in my head. I am sure your son won’t do that again !!
Couldn’t no daren’t open my mouth Jane. The spewing, once started, would have never stopped …
My mouth was open when you shared that you take a bunny and doggie on vacation trips! But then I had a laugh attack imagining you backing up through the ticket booth to get Bonanza. Your life is adventurous, Kelly! And you know, I see this as an entertaining Olympic gold moment–congrats to your son.
Oh you’re not alone on the pet travelling too reaction front! You should see the reactions on the water taxi as we board. There’s more to this trip though. We were relaxing with predinner drinks and Bonanza was lounging in her fenced in area quite near us. She’d been such a good girl all day sitting there peacefully munching on the grass and her hay. I was away with the fairies watching the sun set when my niece suddenly chirped “RABBIT! OUT!” Bonanza had launched a break out move. Right next to a densely thick salal hedge. If she got into that thicket we’d never see her again. Found myself doing a lunging football tackle and mercifully scooped her up in the nick of time. We put towels on top of the fencing now …
Do you offer lessons in restraint, Kelly? I am afraid that if that had happened to me, I would have been screaming the entire way home in the car! Sigh. I applaud you for trusting your son to handle the situation, though. And I suspect he has not made a mistake like that again!
That is exactly why I couldn’t speak Donna. There’d be absolutely NO stopping me had I started. Oh but you don’t want to have been inside my head. My thoughts would have made a seasoned trucker blush …Nope I don’t think H will ever, ever do such a thing again. Never.
Me? Hardly a model parent – HA! I definitely would have lost it..had this been my son and my story. And there probably would have been a good few days of not speaking a single word. Thanks for the brave honest post. Parenting challenges never end!
You’re right – they don’t ever end do they?
Oh, Bonanza is adorable! I love this story and I love your story in the comments about scooping her up when she got out of her fence! I would definitely have gone back for Bonanza, but I’m not sure I’d know how to drive backwards through a ticket booth. Just how did you manage it?
It was tricky Harmony. I was blessed that they’d closed the wicket to more traffic. Cars were backed up behind it – so lots of people staring as I blew through … Yes we are really lucky to have B in our lives. She tolerates a lot.
I felt my blood pressure rise as I read this, Kelly. I would have been LIVID. Kudos to you for having the restraint to stay quiet; I don’t think I could have done it.
But had I started to shriek I mean speak Dana I’d still be going on and on and on this many years later …
As I read the first half of the post I found , PLEASE DON”T FORGET BONANZA was on repeat in my mind. What would I have done……..I do not have words
Did you really? Wow. Yes there are no words Karen. It was quite something let me tell you.
Great story, Kelly. I don’t have kids yet but I’ve been spending 24/7 with my toddler niece while staying at my sister’s. I can definitely see how kids (no matter what age) can test our patience. If I was in your position, I probably would’ve lost my cool! Did it take a lot of effort to hold yourself back from yelling?
Supreme effort Mayan. I can’t tell you. If I’d started to speak though I’d still be spewing.
OH.MY.GOD. I had that heart sinking moment so hoping that this was not where the story was going…thank God, y’all realized it when you did, though!!-Ashley
It was a very “special” time Asheley…
WOW what a crazy trip. I always feel like I’m forgetting something when I pack for a big trip. Bet y’all won’t forget her again. 🙂
I sure hope we don’t!
Kelly, You handled this beautifully! Parenting is not easy, I agree. The mom-backing-up-thru-the-toll-booth-for-Bonanza will become a family story, I predict. 🙂
Legendary. My children will dine out on that forever I suspect. “Then there was the time mom backed up through …” Life is never dull.
Kelly,
What a great story and one I’m sure you and the kids will remember and laugh about years from now. I’ve washed my memory of those crazy days when my kids where young. So I can just say it was all sweet and sunshine!! Passing time is wonderful. Thanks for the reminder of my hectic life with my 3 wild and crazy kids.
Well, I have no children, so not sure what I would have done with them. But I know that one time my husband nearly drop kicked me out into the desert because I forgot the butter for the corn on the cob when we were camping. Somehow, I think forgetting Bonanza was way more important. But, then, I’ve always thought the butter incident was highly overrated.
Love your stories!
NOOOOO! Oh Linda that is too funny. You forgot the butter. For the corn. While camping. He would not enjoy camping with me very much I suspect. Forget the butter -I would have also forgotten the corn.
Very funny! I can’t imagine travelling with a bunny! Your bunny is so sweet – no I couldn’t bring myself to eat one either! And… for years as a child I thought it was Welsh Rabbit too – in fact I’m sure that’s what my mum actually calls it these days! Yuck.
Yuck indeed! On the travel front my mom still talks about the time we went to Victoria, on Vancouver Island and stayed at a hotel with both bunny and pup. Oh the looks on the faces of the check-in clerks as they spotted the bale of hay …
Oh my gosh do I ever love this Kelly!!!! My kids would feel very scared if I got eerily silent in a moment like this. I’m a ranter and raver so I would’ve lost my shit. You had one $@@@$ job would’ve been my response. Yes I’m a imperfectly perfect Mom and I own a swear jar.
Hahaha! Oh my two darlings have heard the most colorful language from me as well. This time my throat was choked beyond choked. Had I allowed my thoughts to unleash well let’s just say I’d still be paying $ into that swear jar …
OM Gosh no way! Ouch! I’m glad we don’t own a bunny! I had pet rabbits growing up, but my mom never owned a car. Problem solved. LOL.
Yes, Lisa. Isn’t this just delightful? Be grateful you don’t own a bunny now. However … hmmmmm … would you like one?