alexander the terrible

Ok, I am the biggest procrastinator EVER, but typing this blog is way more important than my fundraising project right now. I'm afraid that I will be less fired up if I wait until later...and then no one will understand the severity of what I witnessed at the playground this morning.

It's pretty cold here in NYC, but at least we got the stroller muff so nannies and snobby mothers can quit staring at me as if I just beat Ava in public. I mean, come on ladies...it's not like I have Ava out in shorts and a t-shirt...as Kai-lan says: "calm down". Anyways, Ava and I went to the park this morning and it started out really nice because only the "cool" people take the kids to the park when it's a little chilly and there were only 3 other kids there. I love this because Ava can get a lot of large motor practice without being intimidated by all of the bratty kids (and adults) that are usually there. So Ava loves to go up the ladders and go down the twisty slide by herself now and it's the cutest thing to watch how proud of herself she is when she lands at the bottom. As she's walking up the stairs she sat down on the step for minute and this little PUNK who was younger than her just comes up and starts shoving her!! My first reaction is to grab that little kid up and toss him over the playground fence, but I wait. I want to see what ava will do. Of course she just sits there and takes it even though we have had SO many talks about saying "NO" or "I don't like that" when someone wrongs her. Finally the mother of little Alexander comes over and says in the nicest way ever "No, Alexander honey, be gentle." I mean, that's what I used to tell Ava when she was 16 months old and chasing after OG (the cat), not when she was forcfully shoving kids at the park for no reason. Well, she actually never did that...hmm I WONDER WHY?? Alexander the Terrible huffs away and my poor Ava just walks down the steps, head hung, singing "I see a firetruck...". I see the tears welling up so I pick her up and we have big cuddles and I tell her again that she can say "NO" when someone is hurting her. I want to cry myself at this point because she is just so caring and sensitive. I also want to say something to that mom and her precious Alexander. Ava moved on and went back to the jungle gym until a group of boys come in with their teacher who lets them pretty much have a wrestling competition on the jungle gym. Here comes Ava again, same face, same tears.

I can tell she's had it...so we went to check out the hippies' rally about harmful chemicals that was going on across the park. She actually was never quite back to herself for the rest of the morning. I know some of you might want to say that she needs to "buck up" but, she is not a cry baby AT ALL so when I see her so hurt by something I know that she must really be upset and hurt. Alexander is a total punk ass. Ava may be a little sensitive, but I gaurantee she's WAY cooler than stupid Alexander...like go by Alex, you aren't cool because you go by your full name. He probably isn't allowed to watch TV, eat ice cream, get dirty, or talk to his parents...so he takes his aggression out on the cute girl at the playground.

Wow. That was a rant. Phew. Don't mess with my girl!