The kid loved playing soccer. The only thing she liked better than socializing with her friends at school was the once-weekly afternoon practice and the game every Saturday.
Still, there were times when she asked to be able to do something else on Saturday mornings such as a visit to the shopping mall or an amusement park with a friend or to have a gaggle of giggly girls sleep over on Friday night.
“Nope. Sorry kid,” her mother would say. “You made a commitment. People are counting on you. When you make a commitment, you don’t back out just because a better offer comes along.”
So imagine Mom’s surprise when she showed up for a Saturday morning game – on one of Dad’s weekends – to find the kid not there.
Parents asked where she was. Teammates asked where she was. Coach and assistant coach asked where she was. All Mom could do was mutter a lame excuse. She left before half time when it became obvious that the kid was not just late, but wasn’t coming.
On Sunday evening, when the little one was delivered back home, Mom let her get settled in before commenting, “Hey. Everybody missed you at the game yesterday,” at which the kid teared up immediately.
She had been primed.
“Dad says if you have a problem you should call him,” she sobbed, already knowing that she was going to be in trouble…in trouble…in trouble.
It turned out it was a “surprise” visit to an amusement park and it served its intended purpose. It made the poor kid miserable. And the cause of her misery was — naturally — her mother.