I'm THAT Mom!

Zack is a boy...and when I say boy, I mean BOY!  He climbs, he runs, he is loud and he thinks the world is his playground.  I have learned which battles to choose, which activities to turn down, the face he makes when he is about to throw something and when it's time to leave the store.  I have learned that Zack will climb around in the cart (stand up, change positions etc...).  I break the rules and let him "sit" in the basket, and when he is in the seat I let him stand up and change positions.  Twice on Friday other shoppers made a comment to me about him standing up in the cart.  I know it's unsafe but he is actually really good at being careful...and I keep a very close watch.  It's the ONLY way to get through a store.  I do let him out of the cart to "help" in the grocery store.  I let him put the groceries in the cart and he runs ahead of me.  He is a pretty good listener and doesn't run too far from me (unless he thinks we are playing chase).  I get dirty looks from some of the other shoppers and comments like "you have your hands full" and a lot of snickers from mothers whose children are sitting perfectly still and quiet in the cart (are there really kids that do that?) but really he doesn't bother anyone, I get groceries, and he has fun.
I am also the mom who lets her kid play with her i-phone and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the FREE Disney app.  The other day my doctor appointment ran over by over an hour...which brought us past lunch and close to nap.  I HAD to eat something and thought Bruggers would be best...fast and close.  Zack threw a fit and I was about to vomit if I didn't eat so out came the phone and the dirty looks from the ladies who lunch and old couples.  After I got him quiet and started eating a woman came up to me and said "wow they will be really close together...is it a boy or a girl" I told her another boy and she goes on to say "The next one is going to be even more boy, even more destructive and even more loud then the first..." because that's how her boys were...Thanks lady...after drinking glucose that morning, waiting in the doctors office with no toys for an hour using up my bag of tricks and fighting my child who was more than ready for a nap that's EXACTLY what I wanted to hear.
I am also the mom who lets her child eat off the floor, fall down, wear clothes that have spills, jump in the mud, climb the big kid playground, go down the big slide, watch TV, let other kids push him down etc...
And yes I may not be able to shop for clothes (they would only get ruined), we are not able to go back to library story time, I may always get dirty looks but my goal as a mom is not to turn my child into someone who fades into the background and is afraid to have fun at the grocery story.  My goal as a mom is to teach my child to behave (to an extent), love life and become a productive member of society... I'm thinking Olympic medalist in track (someone has already offered to train him).
I love that Zack feels like the world is his playground, and even though he may be a little crazy the only times he throws a fit or really misbehaves is when we run into nap or meal time or if we force him to sit or be held for a family photo. And let's be honest...I am the same way.
I have come to grips with my reality, I can wrangle a very strong toddler like no other, I can ignore a tantrum (it usually doesn't last long...the benefit of an active child...they are easily distracted), I am ok not going to library story time, I know that I will not have nice clothes (I tend to end up with blood or mud on any shirt I wear), and I have used the word durable several times with the sales people while looking for a new sofa.
When I was a teacher I LOVED boys like Zack...they were the ones that the teachers in the upper grades knew, the kids that the other teachers enjoyed hearing stories about but were glad they weren't in their class.  I prayed that I would have an active BOY boy when I was first pregnant...I feel like I am meant to be the mom to those kind of kids.  God must have agreed and I am truly blessed.  No matter what type of boy Hunter turns out to be I am so excited to be the only girl in their lives, to be the one that appreciates them and enjoys their craziness rather than try to "tame" them as I raise them. In the end I am exhausted but certainly not bored.