A Lesson Learned

Today, I learned a valuable lesson that parents of a 3-year old should NEVER EVER take their child with them when they go the store to buy a Step 2 Sand and Water Table. NEVER. Don't even entertain the thought. Particularly if you live in a northern state and it's only April.

My 3-year old now knows that the table is in the trunk of my car....all disassembled in it's 50 individual pieces inside its box still. He knows that 39 degrees does not feel cold to him, even though I vehemently argue with him that the Sand and Water Table is a SUMMER toy.

I spent an entire evening thinking of creative ways to reason with him that water + outdoor toys can't happen until it gets warmer. And by the time we went to bed, I was deluded into believing that I had won the battle.

So you can imagine my dashed hopes of a peaceful day when he hollered from the top of the stairs this morning, in a very groggy/sleepy voice that it's "warm outside". I just laughed and told him he was silly believing that I had dismissively extinguished the situation. How naive and innocent of me. I still failed to see the eminent imminence of the torrent that was about to spew as he tried to quietly argue that the 28 degree morning temperature was "warm" throughout our remaining morning ritual of getting ready for work and daycare.

As we headed to the door, I asked him to pull up the hood of his coat because it was cold outside. Big mistake! Upon walking outside, he realizes that it's NOT a blustery, biting blizzard outside, but a mere 28 degrees that does not really require the hood of his coat to be worn. By the time I advance to the car, he is sobbing for his play table with the biggest, fattest tears and saddest frown I have ever seen. In my entire life. Ever. In fact, I am quite sure that even the pilot of the single engine plane flying overhead was feeling vast degrees of sympathy for him.

I felt so bad for him that I lead him to the back of the car, and popped open the trunk to show him that his play table is still there, and will be waiting for him until the weather is warmer. Ohhhh, so not the right thing to do. Now the entire passenger and crew of the Boeing 747 flying miles over our city can hear his lament. But wait, it gets better. Now he has seen the big plastic beach pal and sand molds that I previously (and smartly) bought when he was at daycare and left in my trunk.

The episode ended only after I was made to promise that I would set up the Sand and Water Table in the 50 degree "warm" weather after work tonight. So if you are on a Boeing 747 flying over the great lakes region tonight and you hear some rabid cursing spewing from beneath, that would be just me trying to assemble this table...in the 50 degree 'warm' weather.

So heed my advice new and expecting parents. Leave the kid at home when you plan to buy outside play toys in the cooler weather -- unless, of course, you like to assemble things in 30, 40, or 50 degree weather and water to the situation.

Now, I wonder how he'll react when I tell him 'no water' for his table until it's at least 60 degrees -- sand only for now...

OLibya

I never had to contemplate before the challenges of explaining war to a young child. And with a husband who will be deploying next season, I guess I can't just change the subject or flip to the Nick Jr. channel to distract.

I still don't know what all the answers are when he points to the war guns on the news and asks if those are the bad guys. Quite honestly, I don't even know who the bad guys actually are anymore in these recent battles (don't get me started!). And this is a dilemma that an Army wife just has to figure out on her own when her 3-year old asks these questions.

But on the way to daycare this morning, NPR was updating the events in Libya and Aidan suddenly got excited, repeating "Alibia, alibia!". Since it was only two days ago that I was trying to get him to properly pronounce Nick Jr.'s pig cartoon "Olivia", I knew he thought the radio story was about Olivia the cartoon pig.

Hmmm...(insert day dream noise effects here)

This is the BBC Radio News Hour. Special forces just completed a successful peace operation over Libyan rebel strongholds. We've been told that Special Agent Olivia pirouetted from a chopper and stunned leaders with her dance of awe. All rebels, pilots, and allies were so impressed that they've promised to restore world peace as long as Olivia and her cat Edwin perform weekly entertainment.

Back to reality. In the meantime, I will just have to work on my toddler-explanations of what is going on in the world -- all while watching a Nick Jr. Olivia marathon.