The Playdate They Would Like To Forget

Everyday is unpredictable. Some days, I feel like we made major strides in our training and other days, I feel like I have fallen deep into a pit and need help out! I never know what to expect with Luca when I get out of bed each day. Well people, today was peachy! It actually started off pretty good. Luca was mostly obedient and pleasant until he woke up...

...from his nap, that is! We had planned a play date at the neighbor's house. The kids have played well together at the park before, so we moms decided to take the next step! The kids and I walk across the street and are greeted at the door with smiles and excitement. Great start, right? Then, the normal issues started when you put two toddlers in a room together with more toys than ever imaginable...they both want to play with the same toys! Interesting, isn't it, that selfishness is not something we are taught...it is naturally in us from a very young age...even birth! Still, the boys were mostly having a good time. Tami decided he wanted to take Luca upstairs, so off they went, unbeknownst to Luca that there would be a male stranger upstairs (aka Tami's dad). Here comes Luca, wide-eyed and crying back down the stairs, clearly terrified by the unexpected encounter. There I am, trying to console him and let him know that everything is just fine, trying to explain that the person he ran into was Tami's daddy. All without success. Finally, he calms down and begins to play once again with the many toys around the room, and that is when the inevitable happened...
Tami's daddy walks joyfully down the stairs with a smile on his face and the second that Luca noticed him, the screaming began. He was absolutely terrified. We tried everything. Shara and I were trying to explain to Luca who this man was, trying to console him with our voices and Cory was trying very hard to say hello and put Luca at ease, all failed attempts. Luca ran Cory off back upstairs and he finally calmed down. It was clearly time to clean up the toys and make our way back home.
I was absolutely mortified that Luca would make a grown man uncomfortable in his own home! Poor guy couldn't even step into his own kitchen for a drink of water without blood curdling screams coming from a two-year old! Very apologetically, we left and decided to try again another time. I do wonder if truly we will ever be invited back!