To Go Or Not To Go

On Monday mornings I take my son to a Totally Tots class at Petite Beats, a baby/toddler studio located just a few short minutes drive from our house. It starts at 10:00.

Last week we missed class because I couldn't get my little man out of bed and fed in time, and because the little guy said he didn't want to go {he cried when I tried to pick him up out of his crib}. His birthday party was the day before, so he had had an evenful day, and I decided I would rather not take a grumpy child out. Plus, it was snowy and cold out so it was pretty easy to give in and stay in my nice warm house.

After this incident I was on my facebook account updating my status to see what other moms thought about forcing a two-year-old to go when he didn't want to. My theory was that he likely doesn't really understand at his age what he is missing out on by not going, right?

A couple of my mommy friends gave me their feedback, both saying that I had done the right thing by not taking him. One said that she also misses things when her little girl has had a big day the day before, or missed a nap or something and they "lay low" the next day. The other mommy said that it was okay to miss out at this age, since he doesn't truly understand yet, but that when he is older she would make him hold true to his commitments. I agreed with both women, and was grateful for their advice.

This morning was the same problem as last week... I woke Toddler B up this time, and he said he didn't want to go to class. Again, we had had a busy weekend, and a late night the day before, but this time I picked him up kicking and screaming {it only lasted a few moments}, made him eat breakfast quickly, and put him in the car.

Every few minutes while we were in class he was asking when we were going to "go home" and tried to open the door and run away from me. He participated very selectively in the activities. Such a catch 22 really... if I don't take him I feel like a bad mom {mostly because I think kids need to spend time with other kids and I hate wasting money}, but if I force him to go I feel like a bad mom too. But, I suppose this is just the beginning, and it is pretty "normal" to feel torn as a mother.