Fuming

We have been pretty fortunate to have a kid like Colton.  He is a very easy-going and even-keel kind of kid who rarely gets worked up and has never had a tantrum (at least in public)...until the other day!  And let me tell you, it was the most infuriating, frustrating, embarrassing event I can remember.
Let's set the stage, shall we?  Colton has been playing soccer after school for the past few weeks through a Soccer Shots program.  Basically, he stays after school for an hour while they come and teach them the basics of soccer.  After a rough first week, he has loved it.  Well, this Monday was the final session, so the director sent out an email inviting parents to attend the awards ceremony.  I was confused as to whether that meant we should come for the final 15 minutes or so or for the whole session, so I emailed back to ask.  When no one responded, though, I just took a chance and showed up about 15 minutes into the session.
When I got there, Colton was sitting on the side not participating.  I asked him why and the other parents who were already in attendance (yep, messed that one up) told me he had been crying. He's never been good with me not watching him, so I assumed we would be in the clear now that I had arrived.  Especially when his coach started handing out jerseys for their "game" and Colton eagerly lined up to get his.  All was going great.  Colton was having a blast playing soccer (although he seems to think soccer means trying to tackle other kids as evidenced by this video...he's the tiny one in a red jersey and black pants).

And then the game ended...before his team got a goal. He stood in the middle of the field, crying, and refused to give his coach his jersey.  I tried to let him work it out, but I also didn't want him to ruin the ceremony for the other kids who had already gathered nicely in front of the coach. So I marched out there and told him he needed to join the group or we were leaving.  He went and sat about  3 feet away from the rest of the group...with his back turned to the coach.  Can you say brat?!?  So again I marched over to him to inform him he needed to get it together or we were leaving.  Finally, about 5 kids in the coach called his name to get his award (a medal he was very excited about), and he refused to go up.  I yanked him up, and we walked out.
I was fuming,  he was screaming as we walked out, and poor Levi was just following us!  It was not pretty!
When we got home, I sent Colton to his room for a nap.  He hadn't taken one for about a month (not for lack of trying...I still put him in each day, but he was not sleeping), and had pretty much handled it well.  Until Monday.  When he crashed!  He slept for over 3 hours after his tantrum, a break we both very-much needed that day!
That night as I was giving him his bath, he said "mommy, I didn't like you very much earlier."  To which I replied, "I didn't like you very much earlier either."  He said, "but I like you now." And I replied, "I  like you now too, and I love you always."
It was a painful, but good lesson for both of us.