Epic Parenting Fail

Like most kids, my girls love going to birthday parties.  Sure, they like the cake (that is MY favorite part!) and the fun, but mostly they just love hanging with their friends.  Before school even started this year, B had an invitation to a birthday party, which we had to decline since we had plans for the same day.  B was upset, but understood and got over it.  When she received another invitation on the first day of school, she was over the moon!

"Please, Mommy?  Can I please go?," she begged.  "It's a song recording party!  I have to learn these three songs and then I'll get to record them."

"I'll take a look at the date and we'll see," I said, trying to wrangle the kids into the car. "If we are free that weekend, I don't see why not."

As soon as we got in the house, she opened up the invitation and showed it to me.

"Please, Mommy?  Can I go?  Can I go??  Can I go???"

I checked the calendar and said, "Sure!  I'll RSVP right now."

I was so proud of myself because I am terrible at RSVPing.  I am a horrible hypocrite, you see, because when it comes to parties for The 3 Curly Girlies, I get so mad when people don't RSVP and yet when it comes to other parties, I'm the parent who never calls.  Anyway, this time I was on top of my game.

After I called, I put it in my calendar and on my weekly schedule.  We were NOT going to miss this party!

For 3 weeks, B practiced those songs.  She sang them everywhere!  She memorized them after about a week, but that didn't stop her from singing them nonstop.

One night, The Doctor walked into the kitchen while I was cooking and said, "Since we couldn't go to visit my parents last weekend, I think we should go in a few weeks.  I was thinking we could go up the weekend of the 13th."

"Wait," I said, putting down my knife and picking up my phone.  "Let me check the calendar.  I think B has a birthday party that day and I know she's really been looking forward to going."

Upon hearing her name, B came running into the kitchen and said with a puppy dog look, "Can I still go?  I had to miss the other party and I really don't want to miss this one."

"She does have a birthday party that day," I said to The Doctor.  "How's about we go up this weekend instead?"

I then turned to B and said, "Please find out if Belle (one of her good friends) is going too.  I'd love to carpool with her Mom."

"Oh, thank you!  You are the best mom ever!," B exclaimed.

Ahh. . . What wonderful words those are!  Whenever I do something my girls deem great, I am blessed with those words.  Thankfully they do not take them away when I have an epic fail, but neither do I feel like I deserve them.  If the words were a trophy, it would be stuck in the way back, on the top shelf of a closet right now.

This morning, I decided to treat myself to a Starbucks (in my little world Starbucks is more than a shop. It is the essence of the coffee and pastry delights.  It's not a what, but a thing).  As I was waiting for my coffee and sandwich, I heard a voice telling a very familiar story and looked up to see Belle's Mom.  I walked over to her, kissed Sweet Boy (Belle's adorable baby brother) and started chatting with my friend.

Towards the end of our conversation, I said, "Oh,  I hope I'm not being uncouth, but would you like to carpool with me to the birthday party this weekend?  B told me Belle was invited and I meant to ask you earlier."

"Oh, CGM," she said, looking crestfallen.  "The party was this past Sat.  We missed it too and Belle was devastated."

"No," I said, with a huge smile.  "It's Saturday!  I have it in my calendar.  We even changed our plans because I didn't want B to miss it."

"No," she said, looking a little baffled.  "I'm pretty certain it was this past Saturday.  When I spoke to J's father to apologize for missing it, he didn't say anything about it being this weekend."

"No," I said, determined I was correct (it was in my calendar after all!) "I'm certain it's Saturday."

"You might be right," she said.  "But I threw away the invitation."

"The Doctor is working from home today.  I'll text him and ask him to send you a picture of it."

We walked away all happy, thinking Belle didn't miss the party after all and B would be going.

About 30 minutes later, I received a text message from my friend, "Oh, CGM.  The Doctor texted me the invitation and it was this past Saturday."

What?  How can this be??  I put it in my calendar.

I felt awful!  Telling B was going to be heartbreaking.  I immediately texted The Doctor and he texted back, "I know.  She'll get over it."

She might, but I'm not so sure I will.

All day, all I could think about was breaking the news to B.  I was dreading it.  I figured she'd throw a fit, tell me she was angry at me and lock herself in her room.  I joked with some friends that she'd probably threaten to run away (one of them lovingly offered to house her!).

"I am dreading telling B," I texted The Doctor.

"Let me handle it," he texted back.

After I picked up the kids and came home, The Doctor walked over to B, grabbed the invitation and said he needed to talk to her. I was not involved, but he told me what happened afterwards.

"When is the birthday party, B?," he asked, handing her the invitation.

"It's from 11-1," she said, looking at it.

"Yes, but when is it?," he asked her again.

"Sept. 6," she answered.

She then looked at her watch to check the date, looked at The Doctor and moaned, "I missed it??"

The Doctor said she cried and when he asked her if she was upset, she said she was.  He then pulled out a book he had just bought for me because of my bad day I had a few days ago.

The book is called Stick Man's Really Bad Day.  It is told entirely through signs that you see around town and actually tells a cohesive, hysterical story about poor Stick Man.  The Doctor said after B finished looking at it, she laughed and agreed Stick Man has it worse than she does.

"Mommy feels really, really bad about this, B," The Doctor told her.  "She feels so bad she was really worried about telling you."

B came into the kitchen where I was prepping dinner and gave me a huge hug.

"It's OK, Mommy.  Everyone makes mistakes.  I know you feel bad, but I forgive you."

"Thank you, B.  I really needed to hear that," I said, giving her a huge hug and kiss.  "So, does this mean you don't want to run away?"

"No," she said quizzically.  "Why would I want to do that?"

Later, I called the birthday girl's father and apologized profusely.  He sounded a little annoyed and I could hear his thoughts of, "How does one make this mistake?"

"You weren't the only one we had this happen too," he said.  "There's always next year. . . I guess."

"Yup.  I hope there is next year," I said, thankful that I'm not the only Mom who messes up sometimes.