First time on the mall toys

Today on a shopping trip for a graduation gift, I thought it would be a nice treat for Lily to ride the toys at the mall. We passed right by them at the entrance and randomly, I had about two dollars in quarters--it was a "sign"! I imagined her delight as they lit up, moved, and played music...certain that they would be so much fun, she would be on her best behavior as we shopped, hoping for another chance to ride the gnome car before we left and headed to lunch.

But what actually happened was nothing like I hoped. She had fun on the first ride alright, but instead of behaving in Sephora for ten minutes, she threw a HUGE (and possibly our most embarrassing) tantrum because I wouldn't let her stay on the toys--crying, wiggling around to get out of my arms, crawling around on the floor when I let her down, and fighting against my mom when she tried to pick Lily up...it was...MOR-TI-FY-ING!!!

I could not wait to get out of there and when we finally left, I skipped our lunch plans, took Lily straight to my mom's to feed her lunch and put her down for a nap (amidst her protests). When she was finally asleep, Eric poured me a drink and I had my own brief cry over the whole situation.

Of course, I felt frustrated with her after it all, but I knew had to blame myself. Right as we pulled up to the mall, she said twice that she was hungry. Knowing we would only be 10-15 minutes, I made the decision to take her inside anyway (foolishly) expecting her cooperation. And a tired, hungry kid is not the best shopping partner in the first place, but when the added disappointment of "no more rides" is added in to the mix, it's a recipe for disaster!

I'd like to say it was a rookie mistake, but looking back, I know it was just bad decision making and poor planning on my part. I mean, Lily even communicated that she wanted to eat and everyone knows a shopping mall is usually not fun for preschoolers...The whole event was avoidable!

Sometimes I feel like a great mom and other days, I feel like a total failure. Hopefully I can take a few lessons from this miserable experience and become better.

*Pictures taken before said meltdown*