The school emails came regularly: hold the date, please come, don't forget! I had it on my calendar and was determined not to be "The Only Mother Not There." This time.
Now the truth is that I am rarely the only mother not there, but when the mother in question is your mother, you don't care what the other kids get. You only care that your mother didn't come. I'm sensitive to this, especially because I missed so much when Cassandre was little (I was always working).
So today I watched a wonderful performance of the book "Going on a bear hunt" Have you read this story? It's great - a bunch of kids and their dad decide to go looking for bears. They walk across fields "swishy swashy swishy swashy" and cross a river "splash splosh splash splosh" slog through mud "squirch squirch squirch" hike the forest "stumble trip stumble trip stumble trip" then twirl through a snow storm "wooh wooh wooh wooh" to arrive at the cave. The bear is at home, the family is instantly terrified and they run back home the way they came "wooh wooh stumble trip squirch squirch splash splosh swishy swashy." Of course the bear follows them home - where they hide with their covers over their heads.
It was pretty cute the first time when her four classmates (but not Juliette) acted out the story.
It was cute when the second group (still not Juliette) did it.
Then it was Juju's turn to be very cute (she forgot a line but was completely adorable)
By the time the whole class got up and did it together for a grand finale, all of us parents (if not all of the kids) had the lines memorized.
So far, so good.
Cute story.
Cute kids.
Mom is present - with a video camera! (Bonus points)
But then I saw a mom I like whom I don't know well but think is super cool and I started talking to her. Two minutes became five, then ten. Juju was at first patient, then bored, then mad. By the time it was time to leave, she was furious.
I walked to the classroom door and saw her sitting on the mat, arms folded and mad as hell. I asked the teacher if I could have a quick chat with her and she said yes. Big mistake. As soon as we were out in the hallway Juliette lost it. Sobbing, she said "I want to go home with you. I don't want to stay here. Why were you talking to her SO LONG!?" Wiping her tears on my shirt, her face and fingers were tangled up in my scarf. I held her tight and tried to hug it out. No good. I walked away with her in my arms and tried to reason with her. Nothing. Well, not nothing actually, more tears and higher volume.
So I got stern "Baby, you need to pull yourself together now. Your teacher is waiting for you and so are your friends. It's time for learning." Fewer tears but demonstrating no intention of leaving my arms nor going back to class.
Fifteen minutes later, we are at a stalemate. I take her back to her classroom and mouth silently to her teacher "Help me!" The teacher picks Juju up onto her lap and I make my way to the door. Juju is glaring at me through teary eyes. I know now that I am officially in a lose-lose scenario: if I stay she will never calm down. She wants to go home and she's determined to get her way. If I leave her she will be mad all day and make me pay when I pick her up.
I opt for the lose now, pay later end of the stick and sniffle my way back to the car.