Keepin it Real- or at least trying to

So I've decided I am going to try to be more real. What does that mean? I think for me it means really sharing who I am (especially with Sadie) and not trying to live up to some unreal expectations I have placed on myself. Yes, I watched Oprah yesterday and it really made me think about why I do some of the things I do and whether it is for me or to try to keep up with what I think I am supposed to be doing. I just think that if I want Sadie to be comfortable with who she is then I probably need to be an example of that for her. So I'm trying...again...Let me start with dinner tonight.

We went out to dinner with Jose since he is going back to Iraq tomorrow. Sadie was doing fine until she decided she wanted out of the highchair. This is something we have been dealing with recently. She starts SCREAMING and throwing a very nice tantrum. Gabe and I are looking at each other and trying to see what our options are. We decide we could-

A: Get her out of the highchair and let her sit with us. We have tried this before and whoever has her can't eat because we are trying to keep her hands out of everything and not let her down which is really what she wants. However, this does keep everyone from staring at us and wonder why we won't do something with our child. or...

B: Let her throw her fit and ignore her. or...

C:Take her outside until she calms down and do it all over again when we try to put her back in the high chair.

So we decide we are going to wait out the tantrum. It seemed like an eternity, but looking back I think it was only about 5 minutes. When she was finished she drank some juice and continued eating. She was blowing kisses and waving at people when as we were leaving. Was that the best decision to make as we probably annoyed quite a few people? I really don't know, but I am hoping it was the best decision for Sadie. My hope is that the next trantum will only last 4 minutes instead of 5 and maybe eventually they will stop. It was interesting to me as I look back on it at how many people I thought were thinking, "That child needs a good spanking" or "If that were my child..." and I have to be honest that I have thought similar things many times before when it wasn't my child, but each child and situation is so different as I am learning everyday. God continue to give me strength and wisdom as this mom thing is not easy!