Embarrassing Mommy Moment

I just posted Aloha Friday and realized.. I do have something to share today.  My embarrassing mommy moment.  Fortunately, I don't do things like this everyday and many of you may think it's not that big of a deal but if you really knew me.. you'd know how much this bugs me and is gonna bug me until I can apologize to the other mom.  

My oldest, E, had been invited to an afternoon birthday party today.  I took her and dropped her off and had a nice peaceful afternoon with J cause O has a nap still.  I go to pick her up promptly at 4:00 p.m. and am surprised that I'm the only parent to arrive.  Birthday mom opened the door and informed me that there were only 2 kids left.  I was surprised and said as much that I thought I must have been the first to arrive because there was no one else out there.  I go upstairs to ask E to come and see some adults sitting around.  I sort of smile and say hello and get complete blank looks back.  I'm thinking okay, not a friendly bunch.  E finally comes and asks me why I didn't come when the other mommy's came.  I was a little confused thinking why did they come and pick up the kids so early.  I have to do the usual coercion to get E's shoes on and get out the door without showing me everything in her bag.   

We go home and go over again in the van why didn't I come to get her.  I'm thinking what is the big deal, I came like I said I would.  While it's while we're all having dinner that I'm go over the stranger behaviour with K that I lean back and look at the invitation on the Fridge.  There it is, legible even across the room..  1:00 to 3:00.   CRAP.  I picked her up an hour late.  No wonder there were no other parents there.  

I have to tell you, I cried.  I was that embarrassed.  Now to be honest it doesn't take much to make me cry, I'm a crier and I absolutely hate it.  I tried to phone the mom right away to apologize but they'd gone out.  I think if I could have gotten the apology off my chest right away with the added reassurances that it was okay from the other mom, I'd have been fine.  But when I sat back down, my throat was so choked up I couldn't eat another bite.  

Now I know it's not the end of the world.  I'll call and apologize and explain tomorrow but the thing of it is, that the last thing I want to do is get the reputation of being that parent who always drops their kid off and comes back whenever they feel like it.  You know, the ones that give you the impression that they are ecstatic to be rid of their kid for the afternoon and treat you like your some kind of unpaid babysitter.   Then suddenly no one invites your kid over for birthdays anymore etc.  

I'm being overly dramatic.  My child's entire social success is not now hampered by this one mere faux pas and I am probably dredging up the old familiar feelings of rejection from childhood (see my post, I hope I only screw them up a little).  

So I'll do what one always does or should do.. tell myself it's not a big deal and get over it and next time... I'll be 10 minutes early.