A few weeks ago, we had another kindergarten meetup to try and see whether the incoming class could make some friends before school officially started. My 5 year old daughter was excited to go. It was actually on the same day as her last official day of daycare because she would be heading with me to a trip the following day. It’s funny how those two things (and worlds) lined up.

Since it was her last official day of daycare, she wanted to play on the daycare playground one last time. I gave her and my 4 year old son a few minutes to run around. Then we ended up going home quickly to eat dinner before heading out to the kindergarten meetup. It would be a packed evening for my kids. Even my wife and baby son came along, which usually never happens. Although there were not many kids in my daughter’s class, she did have fun playing with the other kindergarteners. So did my son.

I guess they had a little too much fun because they started to throw tantrums towards the end of the meetup. My daughter’s tantrum wasn’t huge, but my son’s tantrum was. He was screaming at full blast, hitting my wife, and trying his very best not to listen. Sometimes I get embarrassed as a parent when my kids act way out of line, but on this particular day, I possessed supreme patience. I suggested to my wife that she can take the baby and my daughter while I deal with this meltdown. I was turned down on that offer, but after a few more minutes, I was given an opportunity to try my luck with this tornado.

When I have a lot of patience, I usually just pick my kinds up and talk to them quietly until they calm down. I remember it was actually one of my favorite things after crying - when my Dad would scoop me up and we could just sit and cuddle. It always made me feel better and I tried to do that with my son. He eventually calmed down and we were able to head home without much more of an incident (although he did scream here and there at home, but that’s a story for another day!).