Ivo Order Up

"I want wice. Ro jiao fun. Because, I like wice. And I like meat. 'Member, lions like meat."

OK. Today was an excellent day. A few glitches, but really good. We found the car registration in time for the mechanic to tune up and take our car for inspection AND renew our insurance - yay! They don't have to take the car for us and they don't charge us to do so... I don't know why they do it but I love it! I've taken the car up to Dong Hai for inspection in the past - it's not that bad but it does take time.

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The boys and I stayed home waiting for the car to come back. At 3:30, we got ready to go to the park for the first time this week. It was warmer outside than in and it hadn't rained since the morning. The sun was trying to come out.

Not many kids. On balance, the park was more heavily populated by oldsters exercizing than by kids. Both boys had fun. Then we went to the grocery store for a few things.

Ivo likes to check out the toys everywhere we go. He knows the toy aisles at all our haunts. He found a crappy cheaply made toy train. He wanted it a lot. I didn't want another cheap toy that would fall apart and frustrate him and clutter up the place. Also, while being super cheap and crappy, the toy was 159nt which is around 5$US/CA.

Yesterday, Ivo sat in a pile of baskets at a clothes store. I asked him if I could buy him. "Yep." How much? "Twenty bucks." I gave him two 10-kwai coins and took him home. Cute.

Today at the grocery store, Ivo told me the train only cost "20 bucks" which was so cute and so sweet while he showed me his 20nt pocket money. I agreed with him that the train was super cute and looked really fun. But, I told him we weren't gonna buy it. "But whyyy?" I told him that even though it looked good, it was cheaply made and crappy and would break fast and make him sad. I reminded him of the trains he has at home. I promised him we'd be open minded about trains/toys of better quality in the future. Ivo has a lot of toys - recently, a visitor told me that she had thought pics on the blog of the boys in the toyroom were taken at a daycare center not a private home - so, Ivo's not doing without. Also, Ivo is often able to tolerate NOT buying something, but, trains are his new favorite and it was too sad for him.

I left him pouting in the grocery store. Burl and I waited outside. I could see Ivo the whole time. He just looked down, angry. It was 5pm, there were customers. More than half the people talked to Ivo. The clearks couldn't stand it. Everyone could see me and Burl. It was obvious that Ivo's mine and that I knew where he was. Lots of people wanted to know what I was doing... I just said he's mad I'm not buying him a toy. Burl was getting fidgety. I'd already talked to 2 clerks who came outside to see me, each - twice. Ivo wasn't in anyone's way and he wasn't crying or yelling - just standing-off. After 15 minutes, a clerk ushered Ivo out with one hand full of candy and the other clutching the train.

Oh MAN! I gave the train back to the clerk and thanked her. She wouldn't accept it - literally, her hands hugged her body. She said, it's no big deal and he can have it. I told her I'm the mom and I said he can't have it. I put it down and walked away. I had had to argue with her for minutes. It was crazy! - on top of crazy.

Ivo wailed all the way home. I let him keep the candy. I told him I was sorry about the train but that we just aren't gonna have that train. He didn't talk to me til we got home. He did his version of tantruming which involves variously wailing, silently glaring, menacing Burl, hitting the chair, wall, shelf, refusing to come in or wash hands.

I just talked calmly and let him do what he wanted. I told him he could have the candy after he washed his hands. After about a half hour, he washed his hands by himself and brought me the candy. He told me that he was sad I didn't buy the train and that it was cwappy and would break. Then he was charming the whole rest of the night.

Phew!

Happy VD Day - is that right?