Toddler meltdowns ...

Ok, tonight was the first time I have been truly mortified by my child's behavior. On one hand I guess in nearly 3 years there could have been many more opportunities to be embarrassed, but still this phase of strong-willed independence is extremely frustrating.
Tonight, like almost all Monday nights for the past 2 years we had dinner with Sara's family. Now I feel so fortunate to have this reprieve and for the girls to have a place to go and socialize and have a yummy meal because most nights it is just me and the girls since Rob is in the thick of tax season, so it bothers me even more that we have been given this generous invitation and my child acted like a brat. YUP I typed it, my sweet little Emma was a big BRAT. I know it happens, but ughh, it felt terrible to see her being so fresh and defiant. Some might say, it's a good thing because she feels comfortable being herself in front of our closest friends, but strangely that is not comforting to me because this is a side of her I very rarely see and then it worries me ... is this side going to stay?????
I think the toddler meltdowns/tantrums are annoying in the moment but the true fear sets in for the parents when they realize "I do not have control over their behavior anymore" ... when they are babies they are so dependent on us, they need us to feed them, clothe them, play with them, cuddle them ... but as they grow they need less of that and they certainly let you know it by acting out! So tonight I left Monday night dinner with Emma kicking and screaming in my arms and Meme and Maddie carrying Julia to the car. I am sure it will not be the first time we leave in such a state but hopefully the discussion we had during the car ride home sank in a bit for our little fresh princess ... or at the least the consequence of no bubbles in the bath tonight will show her!
Whew, the joys of parenthood. On another note, we had Julia's auditory screening today and great news she is hearing perfectly normal! The test was very neat, I held her facing out in the chair in a small room with 2 large speakers, Rob stood behind us. The audiologist reminded us to stay still and quiet through out the process and not to be alarmed if we hear things that she did not. So he left and appeared behind the window and performed a variety of sounds alternating between the two speakers. It was amazing to see how quickly Julia's head turned toward the sounds and that she was not alarmed at all, just curious. She sat still and was a great patient. They also performed a quick inner ear scope that somehow took a picture of how well her ear canals were performing. The results came back quickly and showed good performance so we were relieved. The doctor came back and shared he was not highly concerned but wanted to monitor her right ear due to some fluid and a portion of her eardrum being opaque instead of transparent. He said it will most likely develop into the typical eardrum but he wanted to be sure it was not a concern. So we will go back in 8 weeks for a re-check. So as of right now, Julia's ears are good and her babbling has picked up this month too. But tonight I am thinking ... Julia take your time, no need to start talking because I don't need another toddler talking back at me!