At my son's school today Ember had one of her many, in a day, meltdowns. I can say one thing for her and that is that she is consistent. There are certain times and situations that I know will ultimately result in an all out limp bodied, writhing, crying, snotty, screaming, gagging on her own phlegm little girl. The time is ALWAYS between 3 and 4 pm and the situations are anything that involves playing with children she doesn't know well or being hurt in the most infinitesimal way. She puts on performances that far surpass any Hollywood actor to date. She can convince almost anyone that something is broken, going to fall off, or needs immediate medical attention...that is, anyone but me. I have gotten good at responding to these scenarios and help her with her yogic breathing and calming imagery in these times of crisis. BUT, even the best mother has her breaking points.

Today when we picked my son up at, well, you may have guessed, Three o' clock, she was doing pretty well. I had myself convinced that, perhaps, those dreadful days of dragging my child out of the school yard red faced and on the verge of tears were over. She was running and tagging children when THEY wanted her to, as opposed to her old routine of barking at everyone like a dog and gnawing at their ankles in between eating mouthfuls of dirty brown snow. This 3 pm pickup has been the bane of my existence since Ember became a toddler. I always grab my son by his shirt collar, close my eyes, run like hell through the crowd of parents, and dive into my car getaway style through my window before the ticking time bomb explodes. As soon as my wheels hit pavement Ember is fast asleep. Whew!