I can't believe it.

I took Erin to the costume fitting this afternoon. Thak, as expected, didn't get off work until after we were there, so I put Orren on my back in the Ergo, and took him with me. What choice did I have? We walked in, the ballet teacher gave me a disgusted look, refused to seat us, and said to me in front of literally 100 people, "The sheet I sent home said NO BABIES." I said, "Well, we're here now. The alternative is that we could have not come." (And FYI, the sheet she sent home DID NOT say no babies. It said no dads.) She goes, "Well, everyone else made arrangements for their younger kids." I said, "That's great. We didn't have that luxury. We're here." Then she refused to seat us, made us stand in the doorway.

I got a text from Thak that said he was running late (shocker) and I told him to hurry because I caught hell for bringing Orren. He had to fight rush hour traffic from Central to the Far East side. I didn't know how long it would take him to get there, but it would be at least half an hour.

Orren, by the way, was an angel. Honestly, if not for the public ass chewing, I'll bet at least half the people wouldn't have even noticed he was there. He sat there on my back the whole time, played with my hair and the straps of the Ergo, and barely said a word. He wasn't disruptive, or unruly, or obtrusive. That's why I put him in the Ergo in the first place, so I could keep a handle on him, and give Erin my full attention for her costume fitting. It worked like a charm. The only problem was the mean lady.

Finally Thak arrived, and texted me that he was outside. I went out there, gave him Orren, and then went back inside with Erin. While I was outside, I told Thak what had happened, and he was so mad he had to get out of there ASAP or he was going to go in there and have words with that teacher, "no dads" rule be damned. He said, "Can't she see that you're, like, really really pregnant? I can't believe the bitch made you stand in the doorway." He was PISSED. I don't blame him. He said if not for the fact that Erin loves dance and is excited about her recital, we would have pulled her out RIGHT THEN.

I don't know what we're going to do. We're trying to get Thak the day off for the recital. It's a Saturday, and the shop is open on Saturdays, so hopefully he can have that one Saturday off, because honestly, I don't know how I will do dress rehearsal and the recital itself, in all at least four hours of this same type of stuff, if I have to have Orren with me. Everyone who could have watched him for me is either out of town, and will still be then, or they recently moved to another post. I don't trust anyone else with him. Thak will probably be able to get the day off. They don't make them work EVERY Saturday, so if he asks for that particular one off, it just means he'll work the other Saturdays in May, and that's fine with us.

I just don't know where this teacher lady gets off. How do you give activities for kids and be so family UNfriendly? I swear, she looked at me and Orren like we showed up with active legions of the Bubonic Plague right on our foreheads. I'm sorry, but he's a toddler, not a vile disgusting thing. I also get that since the girls were going to be trying on their costumes, there was a "no guys allowed" rule. I get that. I would never presume to bring a 4-year-old boy to something like this, for example. Orren is 2. If there is nudity around him, he doesn't even notice. There is a massive difference between bringing a kid who would actually grasp what was going on, versus a toddler.

I don't know what we're going to do. We have the registration form for next year's classes in our possession. Me and Thak really have to think about this. Erin loves ballet, and wants to do jazz, too eventually. She is happy at this studio. The location is not necessarily convenient to us, but it's not terribly inconvenient either. Shuffling her from studio to studio is not the best thing to do, and there are no good ones on our side of town anyhow, so we'd end up taking her to the westside if we did move her out of this one, and that's comparable distance to this one which is on the far east. Erin would probably be better off to stay at this studio. It is not an easy decision for me and Thak to reconcile right now, though, because the way this teacher has treated me and Orren does not make us want to give her our business.

We'll probably end up keeping Erin at this studio, because honestly, we just have to put her first and go with what is best for her, but I'm just really daunted right now. It's like, I'm busting my ass, trying so hard to make everything work, and it's just not good enough for anybody. How can someone chew out a parent in front of 100 others for trying to do for their kid?