My Day

Here goes... Today was one of those ALL over the place type days... Claire, as you know, has been working the route with me. However, today was an off day for her too. She was in one of those modes where she didn't want to work. So, with that attitude sparked a lot of negativity between us two. Her mouth and lack of motivation had gotten to me early on--on the second street, yeah that early. I swear it seemed like it was going to be a good day too. We had this long discussion about things last night and then this morning before we left I made homemade waffles (yes, at 7am ON A SATURDAY) just so the day would flow smoother. So back to the second road. She does the second road and most times both sides because I do 6 side streets that branch off of that road. Mind you I never too far from her that I can't say I know where she is 99.9% of the time. However, today the second road she felt that since she did her side she was on her way back to sitting on her butt in the truck. Look, truly, I understand what it is to be tired first thing in the morning and yes I get how when it's hot you want a drink because of the heat index, I get that. However, today was just pure laziness. So I met up with her and asked her what she was doing (while still on the second street) as she was walking back on what she considers to be her side of the street and she said she didn't know what not to deliver to and what got DSL's. Earlier before she left the truck I told her not to worry about the DSL's because it's not that big of a deal... She decided to not listen and went on her merry way to tick me off.
As I was walking down one of the side streets as she headed back to my truck, I got cut by some evil branch, yeah that did NOT help matters much at all... But, I let it go and kept walking, not realizing until burning sensations (oh yeah I have a story about burning sensations that comes up soon too) on the back of my leg. I looked and YAY for me, blood... Yahoo... Lovely... Fun... Hm what other word can I use sarcastically? FANTASTIC! Yeah there we go..
So I got back to the truck, wiped it off and put some neosporin on it to help and then thought bandaging it would help too, but that didn't stick, go figure, right? I tell Claire that I was mad with her for not helping me on my side at all and she apologized and we moved forward. Finishing up that side of the route, we decided to do something a little different because the way we were doing it was just more walking than what was REALLY needed. I thought, heck, I might as well try and take the irritation off of her by trying to condense these roads in an easier manner.
So we had lunch, we sat there and we chatted ever so briefly because her and I have been at each other's throats for several days now. Though, I was trying to make it right and well, as the saying goes, it takes two to tango.
So, we're on the route again getting ready to do our NORMAL and routine like clockwork and I told her that she needed to deliver down to a certain house on the road we ALWAYS begin on on that side of the route, and low and behold, no listening ears were in tact. Yay for me... NO, really, it wasn't... So, I finish up my "side" of the road and I was confused as to where she was... I ended up delivering to both sides because she hadn't delivered to ANY homes on that side. Of course I'm confused because I specifically told her what to do ON that road and she did no such thing.... Worried, I sat in my truck, thinking perhaps she just lost bearings but pissed none the less. She comes back to the truck and she explains that she ran out of fliers on a road that she wasn't even supposed to be on! OMG, let me just say I was so displeased that I wanted to scream. So she grabs more and I told her instead of walking all the way down the same side she came up on, to just start delivering on the other side of the street so that the load was getting less and less instead of feeling heavier as she waited to get to the other homes. She didn't like that idea and decided to throw a frenzy. I ignored her, but she was still in plain view. She got mad and more mad and more mad and threw her bags down and said "I just can't do it, they're too heavy." REALLY??? We've been doing this very route, with this VERY routine for 3 months now and suddenly everything is HEAVY?? Grand..... So I told her she'll have to figure it out. I wound up pulling around the corner and Claire went into this uproar tear session that was a huge pity me, no one loves me act that she likes to pull when she's not getting her way... I had to take some time to breath, so I sat in my truck for about 5 minutes... I saw she hadn't moved even a block so I got out of my truck and said to her "C'mon Claire!" Some woman turns to me and says "Is this your daughter? Do you realize that she's been here CRYING for 10 minutes and these bags are too heavy for her? Do you have ANY idea the abduction rate in this country? How dare you leave an 8 year old little girl by herself, she could have been taken away. I've called the cops, a cruiser is on its way." I was like, WTF? REALLY? So then I just picked up the bags and told the lady, yes, I understand, nodding the entire way. I was SO pissed off at that point. So mad, so angry, so infuriated. I told Claire we're leaving and the lady said "I hope you don't take this out on her, it's NOT HER fault." I know I'm not a bad parent, I know that I've done this route for 3 months with Claire and I know that Claire gets these attitudes that USUALLY stop after a while and well... this time it went too damn far! Had I not gotten out of the truck that very moment, Claire would have been taken away completely because of someone who put her nose into something it didn't belong, nor did she understand and because Claire felt it necessary to act a fool so that someone would acknowledge her as an innocent child who doesn't know anything.
I took Claire home and just got so DAMN mad that I hit a dresser and slammed my feet on the ground like I was a mad woman, which face it, I think all things considered, I had reason to be one! I finished the route after returning on my own a few hours later and I think I really needed some time to myself because I was so mad that I could barely even keep the tears in anymore. I honestly felt like someone had torn my heart out and allowed an elephant to stomp on it over and over again. This was the FIRST encounter we've had that someone wasn't praising our raising style for Claire and I mean everyone we've come across has been so pleased by us teaching her responsibility early and having her understand that you need to work for what you want, not just have it handed to you. And this woman... this woman just trampled on my emotions like no other.
So that's what went on with Claire... Also, I have decided to take her off from the route, because this is not the first time she hasn't listened to what we've informed her to do and well, I can't deal with that because it's not fair to ANY of us at this point. And I can NOT take the risk of her being taken because of something like this. Perhaps this was a fked up wake-up call that needed to happen before something terrible really happened.
Then D and I are talking at the dinner table... This is where the burning itch comes in from earlier... He tells me that he had a nightmare last night and hadn't slept well. So, I asked him what was the dream about, can you remember it? He responded with a little but not entirely... So he went into detail stating that he ended up sleeping with some celebrity (which he doesn't remember anything except she was blonde) and ended up getting herpes from her. I turned to him and said "You dream cheated? Really? That's what you get for dream cheating on me! It came on nightmare form. That'll teach ya!"
What a messtastic day! That's all I'm going to write, I think that was all that happened today.. But man, isn't that enough? I'd say so!