Fun Times Usually End in Tears

Why is it that whenever I think, "Oh, this will be so much fun!!!" by the end of the "fun" activity at least on kids is crying? I'll give you a few examples to illustrate my point.

The other day Michael and I were eating ice cream and watching a show after everyone except Baby B had gone to bed. Michael got a phone call, so we paused the show.

Then the noise starts.

B wants some ice cream!

She knows what is in the bowls.

Daddy let her taste his last time.

So, since Michael is trying to hear the person on the phone, I give B small bites of my ice cream to keep her quiet. It works great! Until I run out of ice cream.

I don't know that I have ever seen such a sad face on such a small person.

Her face scrunches up.

She looks at my with betrayal in her eyes.

Then she throws her face on to the blankets next to her and weeps.

Poor girl!

How dare I run out of ice cream!!!

Next example:

Every road trip we ever take (be it 2 hours or 24 hours), our kids do great! At least until the last 45 minutes.

We watch movies.

We sing songs.

We play games.

We eat food.

We even nap.

But come the last 45 minutes of any trip, an alarm goes off in at least one child's head and the start to scream. That usually starts another kids screaming. Which then makes Z start yelling, "Quiet!!! It's too loud! Stop crying!" Which sets of kid #4.

It doesn't really matter if we are going or coming, this seems to happen. But if we are returning from trip, around this time S realizes that we are almost home and cries uncontrollably about missing what ever family or friends we have just left.

Fun times!

Third example:

This past weekend we baby sat a friend of S's from school overnight. It was so fun! She was with us for about 24 hours. It was a Saturday and Sunday, so we had a "movie party" then went to church the next day. S LOVED it.

Then her friend's dad showed up.

Time to leave.

Never mind that S would be seeing her friend he next morning on the bus. She was going to miss this friend. So crying ensued.

I tried to explain that we can't cry every time a friend leaves or we leave his/her house. We all have families that would miss us if we didn't go home.

That really didn't help.

Now, why does this happen? Because my kids are still small yes. And because they are usually tired from staying up late on vacation and in the car and with their friends. And because they don't understand things like ice cream running out. But still.... It happens just about every time.

So you'd think I'd stop coming up with great plans thinking, "This will be so much fun!"

But I don't.

I have hope.

One day the crying will stop and I will finish an adventure thinking, "This was so much fun, right to the end."

For now, I'll just enjoy the middle.