venting...

Yes, he looks innocent enough sitting here at the table stringing homemade beads onto a pipe cleaner, but...this little man's behavior at the zoo this morning was enough to make a saint swear! I tell you what! We just got back from a really hot trip to the Manhattan zoo with our neighbors and I am still fuming...I need to send some questions out to my fellow bloggers. I am completely at a loss as to how to deal with this child when he runs away from me, especially in public! It is just the most ridiculous thing when I am chasing him around and he is laughing. He has never done this before and I guess just recently discovered that it is much more fun to not listen to mom as she is screaming and running after him like a crazy woman! As we were leaving and heading up the zig-zag sidewalk he decides to just take off and no amount of yelling "stop" would convince him to stop. It's not just about "the control", I knew that eventually he would run out of sidewalk and be in the parking lot and that is scary! But I just could not catch up to him while trying to push that honking double stroller up the hill!!!!! Finally I tricked him into stopping, I'm not proud of my tactics, but it worked, and then promptly gave him a spanking. I proceeded to try and put him in the stroller, because he had obviously lost walking privileges, but he would not bend him legs and sit down, just stood screaming in the seat! I'm embarrased now thinking how we must have appeared to onlookers, I think my neighbor may have actually been embarrased to be with us. Does anyone have any advice about this (preferably someone who is now or has recently been in the parenting stage )? Is this just a phase? How do I get him to understand that I mean business when I say "come here"!!! ugh...parenting is humbling.