Some days it is hard to be the baby in the family. Yeah, sure you have lots of bigger people smiling and cheering every time you do something new, like walk down the stairs or say a string of new words, "duk, itty, Mawy..." But then there is the constant, "No, Baby Timmy, not for you." It is a real drag.
Now that the pool has opened our evening routine has shifted to dinner at 5, cleanup, pool at 6:30 and bath and bed at 8:30. Timmy loves getting his tiny red Crocs out, holding my hand and pointing at all the ducks in the pond, and shimmying into his inflated ring to paddle around in the shallow end. His first few dips were spent clinging to Tim's neck, but now he climbs in and out, splashes around, and even kicks his feet to stay upright. His eyes 'bout bugged out of his head when a child brought a humongous water gun tonight and let all the kids try it out. Even though he couldn't make it work Timmy still loved pretending that he could shoot water like everyone else. Watching them play, I thought, "Wouldn't these make great birthday gifts for the little boys?"
But then the fireworks started. After his very long turn Timmy fought vigorously against handing it back to the gracious 6 year old owner. When that didn't produce the desired result of the gun back in his hands he howled and screamed for what seemed like an eternity, but was likely about 15 minutes. After I realized that he wasn't going to give up I scooped him up and barked to Charlie and Maggie, "Follow me home!"
Then I realized my predicament. If I went ahead and bought Timmy the very toy he fussed so much over then that might give him the idea that he just has to pitch another fit and another to get his next have-to-have item. Before I know it, he could be 16 and having a throw down temper tantrum over a sporty red truck.
So... I can put a little money aside each month for truck payments if I buy him the gun or the same amount toward therapy if I don't buy it.
I might be overreacting, but doubt it, since I came "this close" to getting that red truck myself. My grandmother still talks about that day. It wasn't pretty.
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2 comments:
Aw, come on. He's tiny. As long as a few days pass between the meltdown and the gifting, he won't even remember it. Supersoakers are cool.
I agree with Michelle.
Wait a week or two, and he will have fogotten the whole thing.
Little guys have very short memories!
And he'll get hours of fun out of the toy.
Our summer's purchase of a Supersoaker when N. was younger was the best investment; It came out to about a dollar a week for continuing entertainment.
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