We’re taking the big kids to Disney on Ice today and I am working hard to embrace my inner zen.  Going to events like this bring with it a lot of baggage for me because of my inner frugal nature…ok, my ridiculous cheapness.

Having dropped a pretty penny on the tickets for this hour and a half of enjoyment, my feeling is that the kids better enjoy it.  To me, enjoying it means sitting quietly during the quiet parts, cheering enthusiastically at the fun parts and embracing me with love and appreciation when it’s over, sincerely thanking me for being the best mommy ever.

Anything less than this is a failure.

What usually happens is a lot of bossiness, not listening, fidgeting, fighting and whining to get useless, monumentally expensive souvenirs—the refusal of which often ends in a full on meltdown.

The result of this scene is a thoroughly pissed off Mommy, storming through the arena/parking lot/car, huffing that “We are NEVER doing this again.  If you guys are going to be so spoiled that you can’t have any fun, we’ll just sit home all day! How does that sound? Huh?  You can just have your little fit at home.”

Ah…a scene straight from Dr. Spock’s parenting bible.

Now, I know that I am setting myself up for disappointment by expecting angelic appreciative behavior out of an almost three year old and a five year old.  I know that it would be easier to spend my energy watching the joy on their faces when they see their favorite characters skate around them, taking that as the appreciation I crave—I just don’t know how to get to that point yet.  I think I’m too caught up in my inner scrooge to truly enjoy anything that costs money, especially when half of our budget is blown on diapers…

Fortunately, though, the kids are blissfully oblivious to the cost and don’t remember my tantrums or theirs.  Instead they remember the fun and excitement, the time together and the “specialness” of the event.

I’ll keep you updated.   Maybe this will be the time that I calculate the experience by the fun had rather than the money spent.