The run running moms may never talk about

I am not the only running mom out there and I am not the only running mom that blogs about her runs. I love to read about other running moms getting it done and their tips for success. But truth be told, some days are really rotten as a running mom. And instead of blogging about just the runs that go well, I feel I need to tell you about the ones that try my patience.

Yesterday was field trip day for darling daughter and I was a chaperone. We talked about our plan prior and the idea was that she would leave with me instead of riding the bus back to school for me to just go there to pick her up. All that would happen when they got back was nap time and if she doesn't go to school, she doesn't nap, and goes to bed better. It seemed like a win-win situation to hang out together post-field trip. Especially since we were lunching at the park we love to run around! I envisioned a beautiful run with her after her playing and eating and then we would head home. I even reconfirmed that this was indeed what she wanted to do. So we said good bye to the teachers and headed off.

Source

Thing is, my darling daughter is in a phase of uncertainty. Many tears have been shed. Many screams screamed. And many times this running mom has prayed for patience to endure and told darling daughter that I am not playing that game anymore. Fortunately this doesn't happen daily but when it does it goes like I want this, I want that, I want this, I want that, I want this....there is no happy ending. So when we got to the car and got her in the stroller and she announced she wanted to ride the bus my first thought was "oh no, here we go". The idea of running solo was equally enticing but I knew if I took her back to the group she would say "no, I want to go with you" plus I know from experience that it is really difficult to manage a field trip with kids coming and going. The last thing I want is a kid to be left behind due to confusion on how many kids are still with the group. So I held my ground and no, she won't be going back to the group. We are running.

I headed off running with her screaming and pondered how long it would take for her to run out of steam. Usually her tantrums are strong and short. Sometimes she gets so worked up she doesn't seem to know how to stop...no matter what I do. This ended up being one of those. I tried every trick in the book. Picking flowers and grass for her to throw at me or whatever. Promising a reward for quieting down. Ignoring her....essentially a time out when I really can't go anywhere else. Distractions with barracuda sightings and seeing a person dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. I would get brief reprieves but it would all just start up again. Man, that girl is determined! Kinda like me. 

I ended up running 2.58 miles and wavered between feeling strong and feeling like the worst mom ever. I got her situated in the car, still crying and screaming, and began the 40-minute drive home determined to find my happy place. She continued her protests over halfway home until she finally zonked out and I finally found blissful peace. My running mantras served me well and I kept repeating to myself I am strong, I can run on, and I choose to be happy. I am getting better at keeping my cool during her mega-tantrums, which fortunately may happen only once a month, but still question if there is something more I could be doing to help her through it all. But hey, if you are going to scream your lungs out roadside may be the perfect place. So to all the moms out there....what would you do? What is your advice? Any tricks I am forgetting to use?

When we got home all was better and we had some water play and relaxation time. And we both needed that. And at bedtime when we were snuggled close we discussed this incident and what we can do in the future. I turned it into a learning lesson about why we need to make up our minds, especially at really important times. I had to reiterate that it is okay to change you mind every now and then. I think she got it and I implemented an ask mommy trick. She can ask me if this is a game time or serious time when making a decision to help her know when there is no second chance.

Today's run was much quieter. I ran 5.0 miles with 3.15 miles at tempo pace.

Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the opportunity to write a guest post for FitFluential....yep, two guest posts in one week!
Daily Affirmation: I am a good mom.