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Blaine never wanted to be that parent. The one with the kid flipping out in a store because they weren't getting what they want. He wasn't that kid. Sure he sniffled and cried when he couldn't have the toy he wanted, but a full meltdown? No way. And he can't imagine Burt Hummel being the kind of parent to stand for that either. He'd have to ask Burt during their next skype chat.
Here Blaine is, trying not to panic or cry himself after Tracey throws herself on the floor in the middle of Build a Bear.
"You are a bad Daddy and you don't love me!" Tracey screams. Blaine takes a breath, picks up his screaming daughter, throws her over his shoulder and heads out of the store in shame.
It would be different if this were the first time, but it's definitely not. In fact, it's been happening for quite some time when he thinks about it. He and Kurt just made jokes about it. But he has to face it.
They were raising a brat.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. She threw a fit if she didn't get what she wanted, which wasn't often if he thought about it.
This had to stop. Tracey cried the entire subway ride home. Blaine put her in time out. Silently moving her back to the time out chair every time she moved. He ignored her cries and after an hour, she finally silently sat through her five minute time out without leaving the chair. When it was over, Blaine was miserable, explained why she was in time out and sent her to her room to play. He collapsed on the couch and tried not to cry himself. It was his alarm on his phone that got him a little out of his funk. Time for his weekly skype with Sam. At least he had something to look forward to.
When Blaine logs in, he sees Sam waiting for him, Mercedes in the background watching TV with their infant son.
"Dude, what happened? You look like shit."
"Gee, thanks Sam, I feel so much better now."
"Sorry, man. What happened though?"
"Rough day with Tracey. Kurt's in rehearsal all week, crunch time before his show opens. I took her out, we were in the mall, and I let her go into Build a Bear and she threw a complete fit when I refused to buy her a bear. She just got a package from Puck and Quinn full of toys. She still hasn't opened the doll Brittany bought her. She doesn't need a new toy. But she just was so upset, screaming that I was a bad Dad. It was so embarrassing. She's been so bad lately."
"You're a good Dad, but maybe, I don't know," Sam says nervously glancing at Mercedes.
"What Sam, just say it."
"It's nothing. Did I tell you about the funny thing that Hudson can do?"
"Sam, do you want me to be the one to say it?"
"Yes Mercedes, please," Blaine pleads.
Mercedes moves over to the camera, handing the baby over to Sam.
"Blaine, I love you guys, but the girl is bad. Last time we were over there, she threw a tantrum when I wouldn't let her play with my phone. Y'all sat there like it was the cutest thing in the world and made comments about how much she looked like Rachel when she made those faces. I stayed out of it because it's not my place to say anything."
Blaine gapes at the screen and Sam becomes very interested in a spot on the baby's bib.
"Oh God Mercedes, I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. I love your kid. She's smart as hell, she's talented, she's beautiful. But she's Rachel's kid and she's got Rachel's old personality and she's spoiled. She was the first kid any of us had, and we all spoiled her rotten. Not to mention Burt and Carole. It's okay, Blaine. You're not a bad father."
"I feel like one," Blaine says sadly, face in his hands, "you don't have to neglect a child to be a bad parent."
"Dude, you're an amazing Dad and so is Kurt. You guys play with her and she has lots of friends at school. Everyone loves her. You just have to say no sometimes."
"And we all have to stop sending her hundreds of dollars worth of gifts every damn year. Half of the stuff you guys sent us is staying in the closet and what doesn't get opened is getting donated to our church."
“Do you guys really think she’ll grow out of it?”
“Not if you don’t stop being such a pushover,” Mercedes says as the baby starts whimpering.
“Baby wants the boob, look how he’s grabbing at my shirt. These are just muscles, they can’t feed you, but they are responsible for how you got here,” Sam says to the baby, Mercedes rolls her eyes and reaches for her son.
“Well, that’s my signal to go, say by to Uncle Blaine,” Mercedes takes the baby, waves his little hand at the screen and then smacks Sam in the back of his head. Blaine smiles, and looks up as the front door opens.
“Kurt’s home, I’ll text you later.”
“Okay. And Blaine, you’re a good Dad, okay, Don’t worry about it.”
Blaine nods and closes the lid to his laptop as Kurt joins him on the couch.
“Was that Sam?”
“Yeah, you just missed Mercedes, she went to feed Hudson.”
“Aw, too bad. How was your dad? Where’s Tracey?”
Blaine sighs, “My day was alright. Tracey is in her room, she’s going to be there until dinner, and then we’re going to have a talk with her. She’s on punishment.”
“For what? Is she upset?”
“Kurt, no. She has to stay on punishment, and we need to be consistent about this.”
“What did she do?”
“We were in the mall and we stopped in Build a Bear and when I told her she couldn’t have a bear, she threw a tantrum, she screamed the whole way home like someone was hurting her. She called me a bad Daddy for not buying her a toy. Kurt it was ridiculous. And it’s not the first time.”
“Sigh, I knew we should have asked Quinn for her egg,” Kurt jokes, before noticing Blaine’s expression.
“You’re really upset about this. You’re not a bad Dad. She was just upset.”
“But what kind of father am I if my kid gets that worked up because she can’t have what she wants. There’s normal and there’s Willy Wonka bad and I am starting to think our kid is reaching Willy Wonka status. She has everything she could have ever wanted, she gets something new every week.”
“Yeah, but we don’t want her to grow up like we did.”
“How did we grow up Kurt? We weren’t poor. I had more toys than I knew what to do with, on top of musical instruments a playroom. You guys weren’t wealthy, but you never wanted for anything material. What we wanted for as kids, Tracey’s got in spades. We wanted to feel loved and accepted. She knows she’s loved, she’s surrounded by it. So why do we need to keep buying her things?”
Kurt thinks about it, and sighs, “Mercedes was not happy with the way Tracey acted last time she was here. She was really jealous of baby Hudson. If she’s this jealous of Hudson, how will she react to a sibling? And I really do see shades of 10th grade Rachel and 10th grade Rachel was intolerable. I don’t want my kid to go through what she went through.”
“So we have to be firm. And not give in whenever she gives us the sad eyes.”
“Which she got from you, by the way.”
“And maybe we should ask our friends to only give her gifts for her birthday and Christmas. And maybe Valentine’s day.”
“Blaine, do you think she’ll be mad at us?” Kurt asks.
“Yeah, for awhile, when we put her on time out. But I used to watch Super Nanny with Trent and we have to be firm and put her back in time out without saying anything and we can’t let her see us sweat.”
“God, I feel like we’re going into war. She’s 4 years old, what can she do to us?” Kurt asks. At that moment, a little curly head peaks out from upstairs.
“Daddies?”
“Tracey, dinner isn’t ready.”
“If I promise to be good can I come out of my room? Please, I’ll be the best girl ever and I promise to never ever be bad again, please Daddies?”
Kurt looks at Blaine, his eyes pleading. Blaine looks up at his sad faced daughter, and wonders if that’s what his eyes really look like when he’s sad.
“Okay sweetie, but you Dad and I need to talk to you,” Blaine gives in, mad at himself.
She runs down the stairs and throws herself into his arms, and he presses a kiss to the top of her messy curls. She’s his little girl, maybe she can go one more day before putting his foot down.
Starting tomorrow though, things will change. He hopes.