Trampolining & face painting

Day 33 Sunday

My sister picks both girls up early today, about 8.30am. The older one has a party at an activity centre. I'm still in bed when she arrives and stay there while she gets the girls ready which always seems to be a difficult task for her!

I'm not sure why she's taken the younger one, she'll only get upset when she realises she can't stay there with her sister, but I imagine she wants to go with them and as my sister can't say no off they go.

It's about 10am when she returns with the younger one. I discover they've been to the shops. After her mums left she confesses that Mum bought her a treat as she was upset about not being able to stay at the party. It's all so predictable and this is why they end up with so much stuff. Lots of treats to placate the children and avoid having to actually be firm with them.

It's the town's festival day and my son is playing in a band so we head off to watch him. The younger one can't contain herself, all the stalls selling brightly coloured toys and cuddly stuffed animals, all the rides and bouncy castles and slides. She's talking 100 words a second.  I manage to calm her and tell her to be quiet. If she stands nicely whilst J plays in the band then she can do one activity.

She does this and I'm actually quite impressed with her behaviour. So she looks around and chooses the trampolines to go on. Afterwards we walk round the stalls and again she starts pointing out face painting and cake stalls and crafts and it just goes on. I feel mean but I refuse everything, except a cupcake each for her and J (and a giant cookie for me!)

Eventually, as we are thinking of leaving, my sister says she's on her way to meet us with the older child. We head over the free play area where the youngest runs around and enjoys the old fashion swings and slides. I feel smug that it's not costing me anything!

When she arrives she takes both girls back to the main area probably to spend a fortune. I head home thinking I bet she's not done much clearing at home this weekend.

I enjoy a quiet afternoon for a few hours before they return back and as I expected they have arms full of rubbish and faces covered in painted flowers and stars. I don't begrudge them having nice treats and doing nice things, but they need to learn that going out doesn't revolve around buying things and that actually they have to accept no as an answer.

The social worker is due tomorrow so we'll see how she's done at home.