Guest Starring: Anya Dubois created by MrsOogieBoogie
I was jostled out of my dreams by someone who was pushing on my chest. I heard the faint sounds of the person saying Daddy repeatedly, figuring out that it was Armand, and then realizing what day it was. I had promised Armand and Katya that I would take them to Disney Land on a family outing for fun and to celebrate the fact that I was now a regular performer at the Pantages Theater. It was another large step for my career, the stepping stone I needed to possibly being able to perform in Las Vegas or New York. Katya was happy for me, excited that we could live comfortably without her having to work. She and Armand had been getting along a little better, I wouldn't say that they were friends, but they were at least civil with each other most of the time, and Katya wasn't jumping down Armand's throat anymore with unreasonable demands.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
"Oi, Armand. What are you doing?"
I tried to wake up, rubbing my eyes and shaking my head a little, blinking as I did to try to shake the sleep away. I'm not sure if it worked or not, but it was a good thought. When Armand saw me opening my eyes, but still laying in bed, he stopped pressing on me and instead leaned his head on me to give me a hug. I gave Armand a pat on his back and then sat up, seeing that Katya was no longer in the bed.
"Are we still going to Disney Land?"
"Yes, of course."
"Aaaaahhhh! So cool!"
Armand jumped off the bed and ran around the room in circles, pretending he was an airplane, and making swooshing noises with his mouth. I rubbed my eyes some more, and yawned as I sat on the edge of the bed. We were definitely going to have to stop at a Starbucks before we left town. After I showered, got dressed and went into the kitchen, I saw Katya in her usual position, at the counter, reading a book. Her love of books was so adorable. I went over to her and gave her a kiss.
"Hey you. There's waffles for breakfast. I have everything packed, so whenever you're ready we can go."
I ate about four waffles, drenched in syrup, then picked up the snack bag Katya had packed, put it in the car, and then we were off.
When we got out of the car in the parking lot of Disney Land, Armand could barely contain himself, and he practically jumped out of the car. He tried to run around the parking lot, but I was not about to let him get run over.
"Armand! No! Stand by the car!"
As soon as he heard me speaking to him like I meant business, he looked at me with a fearful expression on his face, and clasped his hands together in front of himself, doing exactly what I had told him to.
"Patrick, you're so good at getting him to listen."
"He respects what I have to say, that's all it is."
We finished getting everything we needed out of the car and entered the gates. Armand looked up and around in awe at all the large structures standing proudly in the amusement park.
"Wow, Daddy, this is so cool."
"What do you want to do first?"
"Roller coaster! Come on, Mommy, you should come with us!"
"No... I don't really like roller coasters. You can go with Daddy."
"Mommy, you're no fun, they're perfectly safe. But, whatever."
Armand rolled his eyes at Katya and then we rode a few roller coasters until Armand was satisfied. He was pretty tall so he had no trouble meeting the height requirements for the rides.
Somewhere along the line, it had gotten dark, and the park turned on all its lights, which looked amazing from atop the roller coaster. After all the coaster riding, both he and I were getting hungry, so we pitched the idea to Katya that we should find some food. She agreed and we found a small food court to go to.
"Armand, did you have fun on the rides?"
"Yes! I like the water rides even though I got wet."
"I'm happy you're having fun."
"Did you have fun, Mommy? Even though you're a party pooper?"
"Armand, be nice to your mother."
"Yeah, I enjoyed the sunshine and got myself an ice cream cone. Thank you, Patrick, for this family outing. I appreciate that you are not letting Armand and I fall to the sidelines just because you've found success in your career."
"You're welcome. I love you guys, and you're just as important to me as my career is. I don't believe that people have to choose between family or career, I think if you put your mind to it, you can have both if you want it."
"Daddy, are you going to be famous?"
"Well... I already am kind of famous, you know, when you see my face in the magazines all the time?"
"Oh, cool!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Katya purse her lips a little bit at Armand's enthusiasm about me being famous. I wondered why that was, and I secretly hoped that she wasn't going to be like my Aunt Helena, who always used to look down on my Uncle Dustin for that reason. I hoped Katya was just worried about Armand and not wanting him to get caught up in that stuff yet, since he was a little kid. I grew up with famous parents, and I saw nothing wrong with it. For the most part, Armand was down to earth, and he really enjoyed painting and singing. Sometimes I would smile when I walked by the bathroom and heard Armand singing in the shower. He was really good at it and could hold a tune very well. Trying to push doubts about Katya out of my head, we finished eating and decided to walk around some more to explore the rest of the park.
Up ahead, we saw one of the Disney princess impersonators walking around. She was in a blue dress with white gloves, and it was obvious she was Cinderella. Katya became excited, and nudged Armand on his shoulder.
"Armand, do you want to go take a picture with Cinderella? She's so pretty."
"Umm... no, not really. I mean, she's pretty, but why would I take a picture with a princess?"
"Aww, why not? I think you two would look cute together."
"I don't know, Mommy, why don't you take a picture with her if you like her so much?"
Just then, Armand saw someone else he would rather take a picture with who was walking around on the opposite side of where Cinderella was. His eyes grew big and he became very excited.
"Whoa! For real?! Batman?! I didn't know Batman walked around Disney Land! That's so cool! Daddy, can I go say hi?!"
"Of course."
Armand ran over, chatted with Batman for a little bit and then had me take a picture of the two of them together.
"Okay, Armand, now that you've taken a picture with the one you wanted to, can you take a picture with Cinderella for Mommy?"
I tried to hold my tongue because I was getting as irritated as Armand was about Katya's little obsession she was having at the moment. I wasn't quite sure why she needed him to do this, but I didn't want to argue with her in the middle of the park.
"Come on, Mommy, what is your problem? I asked before, you can take a picture with her, if you like her."
"But you're the child, those impersonators are paid to entertain the children, not adults."
"Ugh, whatever, Mommy, she's not going to say no to you if you want a picture! I'm sure if she is supposed to entertain people, she'll entertain you too!"
"Armand! Just do it for me!"
Before I knew what was happening, Armand stuck his middle finger straight up at Katya. I was shocked, but not surprised when Katya became angry.
"What are you doing, Armand Decimus Hunt?! You don't do that to anyone, especially NOT to me!"
"Well, you weren't listening to me trying to reason with you, so I thought I would show you how I feel."
"Why are you such a difficult child?! I give up. Do whatever you want. I'm done talking to you."
Katya let go of my hand and stormed off to a bench on the other side of the boardwalk. She sat on it and pouted. I sighed, shaking my head that Katya and Armand's problems had managed to find their way into our family fun day.
"Armand, was that really necessary?"
"I don't know, Daddy, she was just annoying me so much!"
"I'm going to tell you something, it's probably not going to be the best thing in the world to hear, but sometimes we have to just smile and nod when the people we love are bothering us."
"Why? That's so stupid!"
"You know when you were shaking me this morning and repeating the word daddy at 7am this morning? That was irritating, but I didn't give you the finger."
"Oh. That was bothering you? I'm sorry, Daddy! I was just excited and I wanted you to wake up so we could go."
"That's good that you apologized to me, but I want you to say sorry to Mommy as well, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy. I'll go take a picture with Cinderella too since Mommy wanted one."
"That's my good boy."
I leaned down to give Armand a hug, pleased with how mature he was in dealing with the aftermath of the dispute. He could easily have shouted at me, given me the finger, and ran away in defiance, but instead, he talked it out with me and understood why he was wrong.
After the picture taking, Armand asked me if I would go play some arcade games with him. I agreed, since the building was next to the bench where Katya was. I told him we'd play one game and then I'd give him some quarters so he could stay and play while I talked to Katya. Armand nodded, happy that he could play games.
After our game of Dastardly Diamonds, Armand went over to play the pinball machine while I went outside to find Katya. She was still in the same position on the bench that she was when she first stormed off. I sat down next to her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder, touching my inner thigh with her hand. It was then that I noticed she was crying. I put my arm around her and held her close.
"I'm so sorry, Patrick. I'm such an idiot, I ruined our fun day. I don't know why I have to be so stubborn when it comes to Armand. I just want him to like me as much as he likes you, but I keep failing."
"Shh, baby, you didn't ruin anything. It's okay. I talked to Armand and the next time he sees you, he's going to apologize to you. He also has a present for you."
"Thank you, Patrick. I don't know why you put up with me."
"Well, I love you, and it's like I told Armand, sometimes we grin and bear it for those we love."
"I really am proud of you. I hope your next show goes well. When is it again?"
"It's this Friday."
I stared deep into Katya's eyes, and used my thumb to wipe her tears away. She smiled at me and we got up from the bench, going over to the railing, enjoying our time alone together as well as the spectacular view in front of us.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have no idea if Batman does walk around Disney Land, it's been a while since I've been there. I couldn't find an actual cowl for him either, so that's why he has a mask shaped like a bat. Also, I know Batman is a trademark of DC Comics and not Disney, but I like Batman, and when I found a Batsuit CC, I just had to put him in the chapter. :) Also, it took that long to get all the poses for this chapter, so it changes from day to night back to day again. I was trying to get as many as I could before Armand had to go to school again, so I just shot after he got off school on Wednesday, through the night, and till the next morning.
~ Late Knight Simmer ~
Posts
i believe there is nothing wrong with adults posing with their favorite disney character and if i would have flipped off my mom i would have had my butt tore up spankings. armands is lucky he just got scolded cuz i would have took him out of the park and grounded his butt.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the Disney characters, after all, they are there for everyone's entertainment. Katya's just... too stuck on what's appropriate for her age, it's not like she's even that old. *rolls eyes at Katya* LOL.
DeleteWell yeah, it's just a difference in parenting. The message is what's important. Patrick got Armand to understand that what he did was wrong and that it is not an appropriate way to act towards people. He also made Armand promise to apologize to Katya, which he will. If it had been something like Armand punched Katya in the stomach or something, Patrick would have yelled and took him home. Granted, the finger is no small gesture, since it's extremely rude, but there's no point causing a scene in a public place if you can get the child to understand in a calmer manner. Patrick's picked up a lot of his parenting skills from Max, who was always a very mild mannered father to him. There wasn't much yelling in the way of discipline for Patrick when he grew up.
OH MY!! Armand giving Katya the finger!! I'm ashamed to say - it had me in stitches (blush) because that is probably how I've been feeling about Katya myself for a while. I've tried really hard but I am not feeling her at all - I am not feeling her and Partriks marriage either :( and her relationship with her son is cronic!!. Armond is just a child yet - when he becomes a teen it is going to get a lot worse - she has no clue how to interact with him and its only going to get worse!!
ReplyDeleteI think she needs theropy to deal with her issues before she ruins her family and it falls apart
LOL! Don't worry, I laughed too, when I saw those poses, and immediately downloaded them for the purpose of having Armand flip off Katya. Hahaha, you feel that way about her? That's hilarious. :) Meh, it's fine, I like Patrick better anyway, so I kind of agree with you there, LOL. She's sadly, jealous of Patrick and Armand's relationship, and she wishes she could be Armand's friend too, but she feels left out a lot of times with their interaction, so she tries too hard. She hasn't learned that Armand doesn't respond to pushing and nagging. If she would just lay off the pushiness, it would be better. Yeah, you're right, Armand's teen years with Katya are going to be awful if she doesn't figure it out soon. Katya and Patrick are doing well though, as well as someone with Katya's problems can be, LOL. Patrick is supporting and he tries to make Katya feel better because he knows how hard it is for her to connect with Armand.
DeleteIt's great that even despite his malfunctioning magic gear a few chapters ago, he's still going strong in his career, if not better. I'm proud of his dedication.
ReplyDeleteAwww, Armand being cute as hell waking up Patrick LOL I would've pulled him onto the bed with me and cuddled him to death, even if he was annoying XD
I really love Patrick and Armand's relationship, there's so much trust and respect between the two, even though there should be ANYWAYS with a parent and a child, but it's just nice to read about it. It sucks that Armand and Katya still don't get along, but at least things are getting better.. Maybe? LOL
oOoooo Armand, giving his mom the finger O_O I'd be as upset as Katya was, but then again, I don't think I'd do what she did anyways so.. hahaha She can be pushy, sure, but sometimes I think she's just trying hard to include herself because she sees what a good relationship Patrick and him have. The jealous oozes off of her, at least I think it's jealously, I could be wrong LOL
I'm glad Patrick talked to Armand about trying to just make family happy, even if they are annoying sometimes. Patrick seems like he's always caught in the middle of the two and he must be exhausted having to try and fix their arguments/disagreements all the time T_T But, he does an awesome job at being a good parent and also a good husband.
Great chapter! ^o^
Yess! Patrick loves the shit out of his magic career, he's not going to let a little coma stand in his way. ROFL. He definitely beefed up his security, at least under the stage, so that should help. I'm planning on covering it in a future chapter! O_O
DeleteLOL, small children, jumping on your face at 7am. Granted, Armand was a little better, and just shaking him haha, so it was way better than it could have been, but still annoying for Patrick. XD
Patrick takes a diplomatic approach with Armand, which really works for them. I think the two of them really understand each other, so they mesh well. Armand is trying, but he gets annoyed when Katya gets naggy. For the most part, it's better, until Katya insists and pushes to Armand's breaking point, which is the problem in the first place that she needs to understand.
LOL when I saw that included in the pose pack you made, I downloaded it with the sole intention of making Armand flip off Katya. XD Thank you for inspiring me ROFL. Yes, she is very jealous of Patrick and Armand's relationship. She wants to be just as close with him as Patrick is, unfortunately she has no clue what Armand likes, so it just ends up turning into an argument. She's insecure too, and doesn't really understand why Armand doesn't get along with her, but she's failing to observe the differences between how she and Patrick treat Armand.
It is an important life lesson that sometimes I even have trouble with. LOL. When people annoy me, I just see the annoying, sometimes who they are doesn't even register, if they really keep at the irritating behavior. Patrick is tired. LOL. He doesn't feel like he should be the mediator between Katya and Armand, he's not a debate commentator, for fucks sake, he's the dad and the husband LOL. Luckily, he's good at both, but maybe unluckily, cause everyone has their breaking point... O_O
Thank you! :)
Love Patrick's relationship with Armand:) You can tell they have a lot of love and respect for each other. Not so much with Katya. Why would a little boy want a picture with Cinderella? I don't blame him for giving her the finger when she kept insisting and not listening.
ReplyDeleteKatya reminds me too much of Helena it's scary. LOL Katya has her moments of being likable at least where I just couldn't stand Helena at all.
Awww thanks! :) I love how they interact, they understand each other very well, like how the other one ticks, so they can solve disputes with a snap of their fingers. Katya... yeah, LOL like you said, not so much. I know, right? Boy? Cinderella? Haha, not to be stereotypical or anything, but Armand just isn't one of those boys who wanted a Cinderella picture. Katya should have tried to connect with Armand doing something else, but she just had to go and make him upset. *sighs* When I saw that middle finger pose included in the pose pack, I specifically downloaded it with the intention of making Armand flip off Katya, LOL. >:D
DeleteLOL oh my, that is a scary thought. O_O For both you and Patrick. Hahaha. Katya's nicer sometimes, but she does have that pushy, naggy thing that Helena had, that's for sure.
Loved the update! Katya's making me frustrated. It's like for every step forward she takes, she takes another one backward. And Patrick's peace making is only going to work for so long most likely. Probably until Armand hits teen years and is even more inclined to rebel against Katya.
ReplyDeleteSeera! Hi again! It's nice to see you drop in and leave a comment. :)
DeleteKatya is frustrating, she's not understanding how to connect with Armand very well at all. She's too pushy, and she is not realizing that's a terrible way to deal with him because he just gets upset when people nag him. Oh yes, everyone's patience wears thin eventually, so she better watch herself. LOL. Haha, teen years... oh man, he's going to be so unhappy if she doesn't stop nagging. O_O
Katya can be kind of annoying sometimes. Like trying to make Armand do that. Whenever my mom did something like that, I'd just scream no because I knew she'd always back off XD. I just can't say no to my dad. He can be a bit scary... Armand flipping her off was rude but kinda cute (don't tell Katya I said that XD) I hope it all goes well. I know how kids going to school ALWAYS gets in the way of pictures. Especially when you write it at a specific time in the story. Great chapter! I can't wait for another one >o<
ReplyDeleteShe's annoying only sometimes? LOL. Just kidding. Armand's a little less temperamental in the full on 'have a tantrum' department, but he doesn't like being pushed around, especially not for something so trivial. Hahaha, when I saw that pose in the pose pack, I purposely downloaded it with the idea in mind that Armand would flip off Katya. XD I know, right? Sim school. *rolls eyes* LOL. I shot it starting at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so like right when Armand got off school, and then I just kept going because I only had one day before he had to go to school again. XD
DeleteThanks so much. ^_^
"Oi, Armand" BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, really Armand? Where the HELL did you learn that. NOT COOL. I know Katya can be annoying and I don't like her (never did) but there is no way in hell I would go and play with my son if he disrespected the other parent. Not in this lifetime, not ever. He'd have to go apologize immediately!
The fact that Patrick didn't immediately snatch him up and tell him no is not okay. He has to stick by his wife. I know your kids are important but your spouse has to be your #1 priority (unless they are abusive). Armand gets away with talking back to his mother because he sees that his parents are not on the same page. He is definitely feeling all that tension.
This whole thing is so sad. I don't see things ending well.
XD Haha, I liked throwing that "oi" in there. Sometimes I fake an English accent for fun, and it felt fitting for that moment.
DeleteWell... where else do little boys learn terrible behavior? From school probably, some other kid doing it. LOL. Patrick didn't make him go apologize immediately because Armand wouldn't have meant his apology if he was forced to do it. Things needed to cool down and Armand needed to stop being mad at Katya before an apology can be sincerely given.
Patrick's parenting style is slightly less conventional, I get that, but the message was clear. Making Armand understand why he was wrong is more important to Patrick than using force or a loud voice. If he had yelled at Armand, he wouldn't have gotten desirable results, Armand most likely would have run away somewhere, possibly even given Patrick the finger as well, and it would have accomplished nothing. Patrick does yell at Armand when it fits the situation, like earlier when he needed Armand to not run around the parking lot. Patrick was supporting Katya. His whole conversation with Armand was that you can't just flip off your family members when they're annoying you. He gave the example of Armand jumping up and waking him up to show Armand what he was talking about, not to say that what he did to Katya was okay. I might not have shown Armand apologizing to Katya here, but he in no way got away with doing that to her. :)
Yeah I think you're definitely right about the tension, and the fact that Armand does feel it. Poor kid, he wasn't lucky to grow up with loving parents like Patrick was. LOL.
Not ending well? What? Don't I always have happy endings? LOL, just kidding. I have a plan for how I want their family dynamic to be by the end of Patrick's generation, that's for sure. >:D
I'm glad Patrick's career is back on track after his accident. =) Armand is so cute waking his father up, even if it is a bit irritating. I wish that Patrick didn't have to constantly repair things between Katya and Armand- who, personally, I think is being a little rude to his mother with the name calling, just because he does not like what she does/doesn't do herself or wants him to doesn't mean he should resort to disrespectful actions/words... I don't really think their mother-son relationship will ever be fully functional.
ReplyDeleteAnd giving her the finger?! Katya can be aggravating, with her persistence and need to have things her way, however I don't think even if I was her kid I'd give her the finger, despite wanting to... Of course, my parents would have had us immediately leave Disneyland and after the yelling, loss of all privileges, and spankings forced me to apologize and explained to me that I should talk and be civil instead of using those particular gestures. I'm worried, if this is how Armand responds as a little kid, I doubt that when he gets older things will get better; it seems like it is a downwards spiral... Life is going to be rough for everyone and I am excited to see how it plays out.
Yeah, Patrick wasn't going to give up on his career, he loves it too much. LOL, oh small children waking up their parents in an annoying fashion. XD Patrick appreciated why Armand did it, but being woken up early is not always pleasant. Yeah, Patrick scolded him on his party pooper comment because he thought it was uncalled for. You're right, Armand and Katya's relationship is always going to be broken, it was doomed from the beginning.
DeleteLOL I saw that pose and immediately downloaded it for the purpose of making Armand flip off Katya. XD Patrick's parenting is not typical, and he felt that yelling at Armand in the middle of Disneyland would have accomplished nothing, which probably would have led to more yelling in the car, and more yelling at home. So... giant headache for Patrick since he's always caught in the middle of Armand and Katya's bullshit.
Patrick went with the diplomatic approach instead of the screaming, grounding approach, and he got the same message across to Armand, which is 'that was wrong.' Armand understood why he shouldn't do that and also learned a life lesson about family members. Armand will apologize to Katya, but the reason Patrick didn't make him apologize right away is because he felt like Armand wouldn't have meant the apology if it had been forced. Giving Armand time to cool down from being mad at her and then apologizing would be more heartfelt. That to Patrick was more important than grounding him.
Honestly, my dad would always yell at me and ground me but I didn't learn shit from it, I just yelled back and grounding just gave me time to nap, so I don't know, I don't think it's a very effective way for me to learn LOL. It might work on some people.
Armand's teen years with Katya will most likely be a downwards spiral, and who knows how long Patrick's patience will last. He's only human, and he's not going to want to be the mediator forever. Haha, glad you're excited for it. :)
WTH!!
ReplyDeleteSure, Cinderella isn't your favorite character, but was there any specific reason why not to get a picture with her for your mom Armand? I understand you're not very close but it didn't hurt you or even really inconvenience you to do it. And even if you're frustrated or are asked to do something you think is stupid doesn't mean you get to be a brat.... :( I am so very disappointed in you right now young man.
And Katya, grow the hell up. Your son is throwing a tantrum, so you throw a tantrum back at him? Seriously?
I'm kinda split about Patrick. On one hand I'm really proud of him for handling it in a way that didn't have to make something so stupid ruin the whole day. I also agree that it's important to not force your children to apologize until they're actually sorry for what they did. It's not the actual words that matter so much - it's the lesson and empathy.
On the other hand - I also feel like he let Katya down there. He could have had that conversation with Armand BEFORE it turned into an argument. This isn't the same situation as with the hair where she was being unreasonable.She asked pretty nicely too. Really, why was it such a big deal? As far as I could tell it was the first thing she'd wanted to do all day.
Situations where a kid only listens to one parent really concern me. If she can't get Armand to cooperate over something as silly as getting his picture taken what is going to happen if she's trying to get him to do something for his safety? For example, what if Patrick hadn't been there to get Armand to stop running in the parking lot?!
I know that last scene with Patrick wiping away Katya's tears was supposed to be touching, but I ended up just feeling like it was foreshadowing something terrible. Someone that you feel like you have to put up with isn't someone you respect... And can you really love someone you don't respect? She was also being such a good sport that this day that was supposed to be a family thing ended up with her being by herself. I understand that it's not really her thing, and I'm really proud of her for going along and being a good sport for Armand's sake since she knew he'd really enjoy it. After a whole day of that, of being grateful that her son is happy and her husband is so involved with them, to be told they're just bearing her... I don't know - but I just feel like maybe she's been right all along about a lot of things.
Don't get me wrong, she's definitely a big cause of a lot of her problems. She can be a heinously crazy, and she needs to learn how to communicate like some sort of adult. She's so over-dependent and superficial sometimes that I just want to smack her. But, on the other hand, by your own accounts she's doing better and really trying hard... But, maybe the time for trying to be better is past. I don't feel like Armand or Patrick really want her there sometimes, and it might be better if she just leaves. As messed up as it is, sometimes you just can't make up for a mistake you made or for the way you are. No matter how much you want something, or to be someway, you can't always just change it - and the kinder thing is to admit that and try to let those things go. The old saying "if you really love it, let it go" situation.
I just have this horrible dread that it's all going to spiral from this point on and something terrible is going to happen!!!
BAh! I'm such a sap, sitting here crying 'cause I can't figure out if it'd be worse for Armand and Patrick to keep struggling for something that is not going to happen, or to give up and then Armand doesn't have a Mommy and Patrick doesn't get to be with the woman he loved. :( I mean, it's not the end of the fricken world, but it sure does suck....
O_O OMG. LOL. First of all MandySaurus, let me thank you so much for your epically thoughtful comment. I am flattered that you had so many thoughts about this chapter! <3
DeleteWell... Armand is eight... and he's still a child. His world's pretty small right now, so pushing all adult feelings aside of, yeah it's just a picture with Cinderella, it was a big deal to him! He doesn't have grown up things to worry about yet, so his mother nagging him was really grating under his skin. Earlier in the day, Armand had asked Katya to come on the roller coaster with him and Patrick, and she said no, which he accepted. Now, Katya's asking him to do something for her, and when he says no, it's not ok? He's a confused little boy, thinking "Oh, so when Mommy doesn't want to do something for me, it's fine, but when I don't want to do something for Mommy, it's not fine? How is that fair?" That was the underlying reason he didn't want to do it. LOL, also, he's a child, and no child ever goes through their childhood never doing anything wrong. The whole 'doesn't give you a reason to be a brat because you're frustrated' is him again, being a child and not understanding that, but that's when he's given the chance to learn... after he's made a mistake.
LOL Katya is very much a child in her actions a lot of times. Her go to action is withdraw herself from the situation, were you really surprised she's still doing it? XD
Thank you for understanding Patrick's parenting style. :) Patrick was hoping that Katya would grow up a little and quit nagging Armand, so he was trying to be there for her, by not taking control of her and Armand's interaction. He can't mediate every tiny ass conversation they have because it would make him crazy. He wanted so bad for Katya to let it go, and he didn't know that it would turn into an argument. He also didn't know Armand knew about the middle finger, so he definitely wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from Armand. You're right, it is the first thing she wanted to do all day, and that in itself was a problem. She waited till almost the end of their outing to show any enthusiasm about them being in Disneyland, or wanting to do anything with her family besides grab a bite to eat.
LOL, it should concern you that he is only listening to Patrick, but it is the reality of most situations, I think. There's always one parent that a child favors over the other. A lot of times, I don't think it's as extreme as I've made it be in this family, but I do think that's where the terms "mommy's girl/boy, daddy's girl/boy" come from. I guess I just exaggerated it a lot. >_< If Patrick wasn't there, Katya would have used force, physically grabbed Armand by the shirt and dragged him back to where she wanted him to be. That may sound surprising, but Katya's actually the more forceful parent in her discipline, she yells, nags, and pushes to get what she wants. It's not to say that she would hit Armand as far as abusing him, but she definitely would be much more physical than Patrick.
Bittersweet. Patrick does love Katya, and he's trying his best to make his marriage work. She is the one who feels like he's 'putting up with her.' He doesn't feel like he's putting up with her. Patrick's life lesson to Armand was him trying to put it in simple words for Armand to understand. I honestly wasn't trying to make it seem like they're just there because they pity her or something, LOL. I mean, if she died or something, it's not like they'd be like "Oh yay! She's gone! We're free!" LOL. It would sadden them a lot, she's a part of their life. As far as respect goes, I see your point of curiosity about whether they really do love each other.
So... my reply was really long and passed Blogger's character limit, so I'm answering you in two different reply blocks LOL. O_O
DeletePatrick respects Katya, like if some stranger said some lewd comment to her or try to grab her butt or something, he'd definitely defend her honor. Their love is a different kind, it's not the whirlwind, sweep you off your feet, make your heart melt, kind like Patrick's parents had. It's a lot more subtle. If Patrick didn't really like her, and was just putting up with her, he probably wouldn't have married her because she was already like this before they got married, so he knew what he was getting. In a way, knowing that the person you're with is difficult, and then still marrying that someone can be the biggest act of love. It's true that Katya went with them to Disneyland, but she wasn't participating, by declining the roller coaster ride, and just being there in physical form, but she didn't show excitement. They say children sense that sort of thing, and Armand did.
Yes, she can't make up for not being there for Armand when he was a baby, but the problem is she's trying to make up for something that's impossible. I think that's some wierd developmental, psychological mother/child bond thing that I don't really understand, LOL, but it's not there. Armand's not going to be her best friend, ever, like she so desperately wants.The harder she keeps pushing, and she will, *rolls eyes* the farther Armand's going to get pushed away. Armand loves her, he's her mom, and she's not abusive, so he doesn't hate her, and he definitely doesn't wish she wasn't there. Having two parents is better than one, unless the parent is punching you in the face every day.
LOL, you're very accustomed to my writing, so it's accurate for you to think something's going to happen... at some point down the line. I do have a family dynamic that I want their family to look like by the end of Patrick's generation, and things that are happening are playing out this way so I can get to that dynamic.
*hands you a tissue, pats back*
It's okay. These guys are as dysfunctional as they can get. It's not in me to write the perfect happy family, LOL, but whatever happens to them, they'll get through it. :)
:D I'm so touched that you took two posts to answer me and that you weren't annoyed. lol
DeleteI definitely did a lot of that "Why is it ok for mom/dad and not me" sort of kids. It always irked the hell out of me as a child that my parents could act one way and I couldn't. (My mother is very passive aggressive, and could turn normal joking into something hurtful pretty easily.) It still drives me crazy if I see a parent being disrespectful to their children. I just want to scream at them to grow up. Especially when they tell their kids to shut up. Why should it surprise you that your kid is inappropriate and rude if you treat him/her that way! That's the way you're teaching them to interact with people!
Ahem. That leads into the next point. Because of that experience I probably understand Patrick's parenting style more than most. I agree with you wholeheartedly that screaming and grounding aren't effective. I think it teachs you to try and manipulate each-other. Don't get me wrong, at certain ages and certain maturity levels you need to teach cause and effect - you act like a brat and throw a tantrum = you do NOT get what you want. But, I feel like Armel is past that point. Also, the punishment should fit the crime. If they didn't even know Armel knew about "the finger" then obviously he isn't acting out like this on a regular basis. He probably didn't realize just how serious what he was gesturing was to adults. He might have thought his parents wouldn't even KNOW what his gesture meant. (One time I told my grandmother to fuck off in sign-language. A friend had taught it to me and I didn't know it WAS sign language. My grandmother was a registered interpreter... yeah - she knew. My grandmother handled it similarly to how this was handled. She yelled at me for a second - the initial "WTF!" then she explained what I'd just done and I was so mortified.) If he doesn't really understand what he did, it would be unfair to take away something as awesome as being at Disney Land the first time he ever did it. If he tried it again, or if he continued acting out afterward then I'd probably say we're leaving. (Katya was acting like a child anyway so why SHOULDN'T he respond to her as he would another child *see argument above about respect.)
Lol. I wasn't really surprised that Katya acted like that. To be honest I expected that of her when Armel teased her for being a party pooper. I didn't get the impression that she'd acted that way from reading the chapter. I actually though that the guys took off and ditched her. My own mother would have gone with, but she would have sulked the whole time that she wasn't having fun because she doesn't really like rides. It puts a damper on everything you do with her, because you feel like you have to be careful not to do things she can't/won't enjoy because you'll be leaving her out, so you can't really enjoy them yourself. (I've completely stopped going to certain family functions because of this habit.) Re-reading the end of the chapter, the way she was crying and waiting for Patrick to come search her out sounds EXACTLY like something my mom would have done.
His distance makes perfect sense to me, and I can sympathize a lot with what he's going through. She constantly makes him feel like he's not important by ignoring his feelings and questions and insisting he has to care about hers. She's also proven that she doesn't respect his boundaries so he has no reason to trust that she has his interests in mind. I don't think it's really true that you have an innate closeness simply by how you were with them when they were first born - or maybe I just don't understand because of the mind games my mother played later on in my life. (I'm told my parents were super involved and loving when we were really young, and according to my psychology classes that's probably true because I was an extremely outgoing and trusting toddler.)
Awww, nah, :) I'd never be annoyed at you for sharing your thoughts. :)
DeleteDouble standards, right? Parents do that so often to their kids, it's so annoying. That's true too, the whole kids are sponges thing, the more you do wierd things like yell or act like a douche, the more your kid will copy you. Usually they are looking up to their parent, so they copy their parent, and if their parent sucks, then they'll act sucky as well. Not all the time, but yeah, you get the gist. XD
You're definitely right about "Act like a brat, get punished." If it had been something where Armand was asking, for example, "Can I buy this toy?" and Patrick had said no. If Armand had said "But why Daddy?! I want this toy! I want it right now!!" That to me, is bratty behavior. What Armand did here, politely (at first) declining Katya's offer to take a picture, was not him being bratty. He was only angry after he got pushed and nagged, which is the same thing an adult would do. Yeah, Armand didn't learn the middle finger from either of his parents, and his parents can't monitor everything kids do at school, that's the point of life, learning things, making mistakes, so Armand picked up a bad gesture. Now that he's been scolded for it, if he does it again, that's when the punishment would be appropriate. Because if Armand made a choice to be naughty, then that's wrong. Armand is normally a well behaved boy, he does his homework, doesn't wander around unsupervised, that sort of thing. I completely agree with "the punishment should fit the crime," I had that phrase in my head a lot when I was replying to some other comments on this chapter, LOL.
Ahh yeah, Katya's childish behavior was a little subtle in the beginning. She didn't want to go on the roller coaster and Patrick and Armand weren't going to force her, so she ate a snow cone and enjoyed the sunshine, which was something she would rather do. As much as she's jealous of Armand and Patrick's relationship, she does enjoy seeing them get along. Dang, your mom is like really passive-aggressive. O_O Going on the ride and then sulking the whole time. Yikes. Sorry. :/
Ugh you hit that one on the head, for sure. Katya just tries to mold Armand into what he's not, instead of guiding him while seeing and accepting who he's growing up to be. LOL, yeah I'm not sure about that innate closeness thing either, having never experienced it firsthand, just seeing it on tv and like everyone telling me it's there, which is why I said I used it in the chapter. I do think, that in some cases, if it is there, and the mom and child get along great while they're small, there is always a chance the mom and child could become distant from each other as the child grows up, like I think that the closeness isn't a life long thing.
DISNEY LAND!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been so looking forward to this chapter!!! I'm glad to see that you're still enjoying Roaring Heights. I may have to splurge for my birthday and get that! My sims need to go to Disney Land too!! lol!
Wow, so much to cover in this chapter. Lots of gripping about Katya and I have to somewhat agree; but she has issues from her childhood and I honestly believe that she's doing her best. I know I suck as a parent sometimes and I can sometimes throw a temper tantrum (Not like Katya but I still have moments where I can be selfish).
OMG, Armand! Take the damn picture!!! Better yet, take the damn picture too, Katya! I take pictures with Disney characters every trip! Everyone just needs to loosen up! It's Disney, damn it! Sorry, I just like everyone to have fun in Disney. :D
I think I get what Patrick was saying about smiling and nodding, and grinning and bearing it. Marriage is not easy stuff. There are days when I am not a pleasant person to be around and there are days that hubby is the same way. The times I'm like that, he grins and bears it. I do the same for him. There's not many I would do that for, but he's one of them. I really think it shows how much Patrick loves her since it shows how he accepts her for who she is, flaws and all.
Yeah, Batman is not a fixture in Disney. But, he should be!!! lol! I think there may have been another reason you included him. . .who's under the mask anyway? Is it a special sim you made? LOL! ;)
Oh, the finger flipping is so something I would have done. . .and my dad would have beat the crap out of me. Not really, but I would have very much regretted it. Hmmm. . .I myself would not have responded the way Patrick did but I won't argue with his methods. I personally have specific things that are just not tolerated and being disrespectful is one of them. I would explain it like Patrick but then I would send Armand to immediately apologize. Then I would secretly chuckle at the kids spunk since I was that way myself. lol!
So much fun to read this! Makes me want to go back to Disney. :)
*screams from excitement* LOL.
DeleteI absolutely adore Roaring Heights. The sky and buildings are beautiful. Plus, the 1920s decor and clothes are really exciting.
Haha, yeah Katya's never seen a 'functional' family before, like not one where both parents and all siblings get along well the majority of the time. She doesn't have much to work with, and now that she's never gotten along with Armand, she is probably acting a bit like her mother would have. Her mother was never around a whole lot, even when she was in the house, she wasn't "there" for her children. Katya's behaving the same way right now.
Awww, haha, I like that you want everyone to have fun at Disney Land. Patrick was trying to lighten the mood because he wanted that too. XD That's why he didn't demand they all leave. He was sure if he just talked to Armand and then went to talk to Katya, that they could all go home in a better mood.
Yeah, exactly, Patrick wasn't saying that you have to stay with someone if you dislike them and put up with their crap, he was saying that sometimes people you love will act crazy, and you should try your best to support them out of love. No one's perfect, and he wanted Armand to know that even though people have flaws, they are still worth loving.
Oh, of course, there was another reason I included Batman... it's because I love him. *gasp* Batman doesn't give away his secret identity! LOL. The Sim wearing the costume is Christian Bale's Simself ♥ because I liked Christian's performance the best out of all the actors who have played the superhero. XD I love celeb Sims, so I drop random ones into towns I play, for my entertainment.
Yeah, everyone has different parenting skills, and some people pick up what they learned from their parents. Patrick learned from his parents more of a laidback, reasoning, type of approach to parenting, which Armand prefers, over the yelling and nagging way that Katya deals with him. That's why Armand gets along with Patrick better, Armand feels like Patrick respects him. Armand didn't know what the middle finger meant, this was his first time (hopefully, last) using it towards Katya, so Patrick didn't feel like he should flat out scream at Armand for doing something he didn't know was wrong. I like that there are different parenting skills, it makes the world more interesting. XD
OMG this chapter was so fun!!! I loved it. Scrolls back up just to look at the pictures again. Faints! When she sees Patrick in bed. Is he wearing underware? LMAO Armand is so damn adorable. I loved his excitment throughout this chapter. <3
ReplyDeleteLOL! :) I'm glad you enjoyed it, I really had a lot of fun taking them to Roaring Heights for a day. XD Yes, Patrick was wearing his red, black, and white skull underwear when Armand was shaking him. He wasn't just letting his junk all hang out or anything inappropriate like that ROFL. Armand is awesome, I love him. ^_^
DeleteJust another dysfunctional family day at the park ... a lovely theme park, at least. There's no way I'd put up with a child flipping me off, most certainly not my own child. As much as Armand handled his frustration with the picture situation poorly, so did Katya by saying, "I give up. Do whatever you want." There have to be consequences to his actions, and they need to be felt immediately so he sees the cause & effect. While I know Patrick's style is to handle things calmly, which is fine, letting Armand play video games before apologizing to his mother sends the wrong message. *steps off soapbox* LOL
ReplyDeleteAhh yeah, Roaring Heights was the perfect town for this theme park. I really love the Boardwalk. Heh, yeah, neither Katya nor Armand dealt with the picture situation well. Katya didn't need to keep pushing because it was a dumb reason to pick a fight with Armand, so she really brought that shit on herself. LOL. Yeah, Armand didn't need to flip her off, but when I saw that pose, I really wanted to use it. XD That's the only reason it was in here, LOL.
DeleteEven though Armand seemed like he got off easy, he knew what he did was wrong, and although I didn't show it here, Armand did as promised, apologizing to Katya while giving her the picture. Katya wouldn't probably have accepted the apology right away anyway, considering her penchant for sulking like a child, which also contributed to Patrick trying to salvage the rest of the day. Him letting Armand play on the pinball machine was his way of separating Katya and Armand while he went to talk to Katya because as far as Patrick knew, they might have started fighting yet again. *rolls eyes*
Awww Armand is such a happy little fellow. I'm happy things worked out for Patrick and he's performing again. Patrick is a good father but I can already forsee Katya getting all upset about the things Armand said to her, later on. I can't believe she didn't want to go on any of the rides though, I mean really, it's DISNEYLAND...Some adults go there on their honeymoons. Would it really hurt for her to go on at least one ride with her son? It was rude of Armand to call his mom a party pooper and Patrick put him in his place but god damnit, she was a party pooper and there's no denying that. Armand is going to be my favorite character when he grows up, mark my words. I'm at the edge of my seat again! xD Armand needs to chill, with that whole middle finger thing, that's not cool. I mean yeah, your parents might get you pissed off and you slip up sometimes but DAMN he was so bold. It sucks seeing your mom cry over something you said, that's like the most hearbreaking thing in the world. I honestly think if Katya stopped trying so hard things would come more naturally to her, Armand probably feels like she's trying to force a relationship between them. Patrick is such an amazing father, keeping everything in order, he deserves an award or something. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Armand is super excited, it was his very first trip to Disneyland. Katya is... uptight, to say the least. She feels that since she's "the mom" she shouldn't "act like a child." *rolls eyes* If she had gone on a ride, it might have even been a first step to her and Armand's relationship getting better! Hell, she was a party pooper, LOL, you are absolutely right.
DeleteOf course the middle finger was bad. LOL, that's why it's the middle finger. O_O But man, I found that pose and I was like "I have to use this, it's so cool." LOL. *is a rebel* Armand really has no friendship with Katya because Katya is so stubborn, and all she does is push him and bug him to do things he doesn't want to do, so as much as it sucks to say, he didn't really care that she cried. He knew he did something wrong to his mom and he felt bad about his actions, but as far as him feeling sad for her? Not really. Yes, you're absolutely right about that, Armand feels forced into doing a lot of things with Katya and he doesn't enjoy them. Today he had been pushed to his breaking point, hence his rash reaction to her. From his eyes, she didn't want to do anything he wanted to do, so why in the hell does he have to do something for her? Relationships are give and take, even between a parent and a child.
Poor Patrick always has to referee Katya and Armand, and he loves his family, so he's willing to do it, but it does drive him crazy. LOL. He would love an award for that. XD
Ahh Disneyland! I love Disneyland! I used to practically live there when I was a kid--who am I kidding, I went there all the time even when I wasn't a kiddo. Now it's just so darn expensive and the lines are so long, I rarely go. :( But, that's off topic. haha My point is that it was so fun to see Patrick taking the family on a trip there so that they could have fun and get a little bonding time in. It's kind of funny though because the boardwalk here actually looks very similar to the one at Disney's California Adventure! I never noticed that before.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that Armand and Katya still are having problems. I feel bad for her, she seems to so want to be involved and have a similar bond with Armand that Patrick has, but it just isn't working out. Like, she's trying too hard, maybe? But Patrick is so sweet to always be looking out for both his son and wife, trying to help make their relationship stronger. I just hate that he always seems to be stuck in the middle of their fights. Not exactly how he hoped his little family would be like, I'm sure.
LOL! I had been to Disneyland a lot as a child too, that and Six Flags. I haven't been in a long time though, the last amusement park I went to was just the little one that is in my state. XD Patrick really wanted to give his family a fun day because he felt like they had been arguing a lot and there was too much real life stress happening, he thought they needed to relax. Heehee, when I got Roaring Heights, and saw the Boardwalk, I was like... omg, I have to do a Disneyland chapter, it just looks too much like it NOT to do it. XD
ReplyDeleteYeah, she is definitely trying too hard. She's pushing things to the point of awkwardness. Katya could have easily bonded with Armand over the roller coasters. Armand invited her in, and she just turned away his invitation without even thinking about it. She's making their relationship very one-sided, she won't do what he wants, but she keeps pushing him to do things she wants, then gets mad when he doesn't do what she wants. In reality, Katya is acting like a child more than Armand is. LOL. Patrick is tired, it's another reason he wanted to go to Disneyland, he wanted to have one day where he could possibly just have fun with his family. He absolutely is stuck in the middle of Katya and Armand, constantly. He had hoped that with how cute and sweet Katya was when they were dating that she would show some of that side of her, but sadly she is being a wierdo, LOL.
hahaha I know it's bad to laugh but him giving her the finger was too funny. I feel ya Armand, she was getting on my nerves too! Damn woman, you asked him if he wanted to take a picture with Cinderella and he said no so why keep pushing it? She brings this shit on herself. I have 4 kids, I know how to pick the battles but she just makes everything a war. It's crazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Patrick did talk to Armand. The finger (although funny) was not something he should have done to his mother, or anyone. I really hate that she's turning into Helena.
*giggles* It's okay I laughed too. I figured this family needed some humor in their life. Hahaha. IKR? She didn't have to push the picture issue, it wouldn't hurt anyone if Armand didn't take the picture with Cinderella. Plus, he's a little boy, I mean, come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that most boys want superheros. Not all of them, of course, and I don't mean to start some wierd gender role stereotype, LOLL, lord knows I hate that crap, but if the little boy says no he doesn't want to take a picture with a princess, just let it go, dude. She totally does bring all of her crap onto herself. Hahaha. She is crazy.
DeletePatrick knew he needed to remedy the situation and discipline Armand somewhat, but he also knew that Armand's actions weren't all his fault. If Armand hadn't been pushed, he never would have flipped off Katya. The reason she's becoming like Helena was necessary for future story lines, but you'll find out more about that as you read on. At this point, I was starting to think about how Armand would be affected in all of this, and so I wrote his parents' actions accordingly to get the result of the person he would turn into. If anything, Katya turning into Helena could be an insight into what Helena would have been like as a mother, since she never got to have a kid. LOL.
Katya cannot have a second childhood through her son. He is a boy and naturally he is going to be more excited to see Batman instead of Cinderella. When he said he didn't want to take the picture with her Katya should have listened. I don't condone Armand giving her the finger (even though I laughed about it) because she is his mother. He wouldn't have done that to his father but than again he respects Patrick.
ReplyDeleteKatya wonders why Patrick can handle Armand so easily. Maybe its because Patrick actually talk to him instead of talking at him. This woman has a lot to learn and she is reminding me of Helena more and more.
Heehee, I'm glad that you laughed at the middle finger occurrence. It was a bit of dark humor, if I do say so myself. That's exactly it, Armand doesn't respect Katya because she's given him absolutely no reason to. Being his mother doesn't cut it, if your mother acts like an asshole, then you'd be way more compelled to mouth off and be a rebel to her than if she was kind and understanding. LOL. Doesn't make it right, but that is human nature. Katya really should have just taken a picture with Cinderella herself, Cinderella wouldn't have minded one bit, but Katya is... difficult. She calls Armand difficult all the time, but she's really just projecting, to be quite honest. LOL.
DeleteYeah, it is because Patrick has established authority over Armand, like when he reigned him in when he was running around the parking lot, but Patrick gives authority when it's necessary, not just to be an ass. Katya tries to control Armand, and that's a completely different thing, which Armand sees as different, and doesn't think is right, because it's not. Katya would probably be a lot like how Helena would have been as a mother, which is very unfortunate.