A Day
Went out for a group ride tonight -- I needed a little time away. About 35 folks who ride a hell of a lot faster than this SAHD who hasn't been out much lately. Needless to say, I got dropped pretty hard. While I was out Mon fed and ate with the munchkins. Both kids eating crab cakes for the first time. Mon really tries to sell the fried mushballs to Shane, "Mmmm, aren't these delicious." Shane takes a bite, "Ummm, yeah, they are good, but I don't like them."

So, why did I need a little time away? We had two hitting incidents at playgroup today. First, one of our friends got hit on the head with the oversized wiffle ball bat. Then, after a warning that any more hitting incidents would lead to our departure, we had a second incident where a different friend was hit in the face. I thought we were on track for a great day. Everyone was doing great in the morning. We had no issues. Shane and I rode bikes with Liv in the trailer to our friends house for playgroup. Not sure what's going on. Except that there are two boys who are a year older than Shane who get together and can be quite mean, especially for whatever reason to Shane. They even pull our friend Jack, who's Shane's age, into the action from time to time. Whether related or not, I should mention Jack was the second hitting victim. Of the two instigators, the one boy, we'll call him David, is usually quite nice to Shane. It just gets complicated when this other boy is around. The other boy might be a direct descendant of Satan despite his biblically inspired name, but lets call him Louis. Another Mom and I have noticed and discussed Louis' behavior several times, and, perhaps especially the fact that his mother is completely oblivious to it. It's a bit unsettling.

Another recent worry is Shane's stated desire for Mon to stay home. I don't know if this is a phase. I like to think that I am about as caring and loving and supportive and fun as a parent can be. Maybe he sees all the other Moms at playgroup and at the park and wants his situation to be the same. Maybe I am trying too hard and he senses some stress. He said something about it to Mon tonight while she was getting dinner ready, and he and Liv were coloring at the table. He also asked on why she had to go to work and why Daddy couldn't go to work. My first 360 degree feedback from my charges is not the glowing report I had hoped for. Back to the drawing board.?