She had not been listening.
Just like her sister at that age, she was pushing her mom's patience, hard.
Not once, not twice, but over and over.
So she was told that she if she didn't behave, there would be no pool for her.
Perhaps she heard that, perhaps she didn't.
The upshot was this: no Volcano Pool for her.
At all.
That would make a day of vacation that she didn't go to the pool even once.
She proceeded to throw a gigantic tantrum, just like her sister did at that authority-pushing age.
Threw herself on her bed, she did, sobbing into the pillow at top volume, thrashing her arms and legs against the mattress... in other words, she was being 6.
No response to her Mama's pleas to calm down, no response to her sister's chastising, just louder sobs and more thrashing.
I told Christina and Miyah to go on to the pool, I would stay there with Chloe.
That was my choice to take on the challenge.
I let her cry a little longer, then came in to work on calming her.
Stroking her back gently, speaking softly so she would have to quiet down to hear, using touch and a calm tone I sensed her frantic state easing.
I sat on the bed, continuing to softly rub her back and her hair.
I told her how important it was to listen to her Mama.
I told her that there are so many dangers in the world and her Mama is always trying to make sure she stays safe.
I told her that her Mama knows when danger is around or when there is a chance that she might get hurt.
I told her that's why it is always important to listen to her Mama and do what she says.
I told her that she is only 6 and she doesn't yet have all the knowledge and experience she needs to stay safe.
I told her that her Mama always loves her and wants her to be safe.
I told her to always remember that she is important and special to her Mama.
I repeated those words over and over, taking Chloe into my arms when she sat up, tears finally not coursing down her face, breath no longer ragged.
Finally, I asked her to come into the living room and sit with me...
and she did.
Would she like a Krispy Kreme doughnut?
Would she like some water?
She would need to sit at the table for those...
and she did.
"That means that 23 people out of 100 had that same answer."
She caught on pretty quickly and was telling me after that whether the contestant had guessed a good answer or a bad one.
I sent that photo to Christina around 10:30 PM, there at the pool, letting her know all was well.
She was so relieved that Chloe had calmed and was enjoying quiet time with me.
So was I.
We saw the meltdown coming while we were eating dinner.
Instead of going straight to the condo after our day at the park, we went to Sickies Garage, as I thought I remembered Tuesday being a "kids eat free" day.
I was mistaken about that; Monday is that day.
We also ended up at a different Sickies than the one we'd been to before, though both are in Kissimmee and both are on the same road.
At this one, the car was suspended from the ceiling and was inside.
I went for a new option, "Wild West Nachos", which used kettle chips and bbq pork.
Guess I was still feeling like a cowgirl!
Chloe sat with me on one side of the booth, across from Christina and Miyah.
I was enjoying the music of my youth, singing along, chatting with one of the older waitresses, just having a good time!
I think Chloe took that as a sign she could play around, too.
It had been a long day in the sun, sandwiched between two 45-minute drives.
She'd had lots of mental and physical stimulus from playing with a bunch of other kids while we were at the park, so that had her revved up.
Also, I think both girls had missed their meds that morning and it was after 8 PM and time for their evening dose to settle them down for bed.
We didn't even leave the restaurant until after 9 PM, heading straight over to Krispy Kreme for a dozen, then stopping to watch the fireworks show visible from DisneyWorld.
She had been choosing "go to the pool" as her option every time she was given a choice about an activity, but Miyah's choice always won out.
Yes, the meltdown was in the works before we even got back to town from Lakeland.
We'll have to pay more attention so we can avert them for the next few days.
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