Rules and When They Need To Be Broken

I have to admit that I hate rules, but I totally understand the need for them. I'm also a mom and my kids come first.  Their well being is my number one goal.

The Thursday before Christmas vacation, the kids were able to bring ski pants, boots and sleds to school and go outside and go sledding for a whole hour.  They were THRILLED. (I also thought it was a wonderful idea) Griffin also had a Holiday Party that day.  After school, they went to the Y for Gym and Swim.  I picked them up at 5:40 and they were BEAT.  On paper, the right thing to do was to go home, give them baths and have them tucked into their beds by 8:00.  However, my daughter is VERY apprehensive about going to middle school next year.  My friend is the Faculty Adviser for the middle school Drama Club.  They were doing a play that night.  I thought it would be good to go.  Sarah loved it.  Turns out, she knew many of the cast members, recognized many of the parents in the audience and got a very warm greeting from the hero of the play.  She left with a HUGE smile on her face, feeling a little better about middle school.  That was very important to me.  However, the next day at school, I got a phone call.  Griffin just couldn't deal.  He was having meltdowns and crying, complaining of a headache.   He had gone to bed late the night before and he had to come home.  So, yes, I did a disservice to my son, but my daughter needed to have a positive experience regarding middle school.  Sometimes you DO need to choose one child's needs over the other's.Was it the end of the world to Griffin?  No.  He came home, fell asleep on the couch and woke up feeling like his usual self.  Is Sarah in a better frame of mind regarding middle school?  Yes.  Most definitely. I am confident I made the right decision.

Today, we had chips and dip for lunch.  What?  That is a horrible lunch.  You are right.  From a nutritional point of view, that's almost call Child Protective Services bad.  However, Griffin is having some nerve issues with his right arm (for those of you that don't know, he had a seizure disorder and had the left side of his brain disconnected from the right in August of 2012) and he refused to try and use it.  I told him he could have chips and dip if he used his right arm.  He dropped the first chip, the second one he held onto and in order to get the dip on the chip, dragged his entire hand through the dip.  He got the chip to his mouth, but dropped it.  On the third try, he was successful.  Now, I have onion dip on the table cloth, on the dining room rug and Griffin has onion dip all over his shirt and his face and his foot.  He also has the biggest smile on his face.  Again, did we have a healthy and nutritious lunch?  Nope.  Did my son take steps to increase his physical abilities for the rest of his life?  Yes.  Most definitely.  I am confident I made the right decision.

So, you tell me....should rules be followed ALL the time?  I say no.