Sunday, December 30, 2007

Parenting Low

We had some alumni come by tonight for dinner and an Uno Attack re-match. In preparation for this evening, we put Caleb down for a nap right on time. He got up. We put him down again. He began crying hysterically for his "Larry Boy (of Veggie Tales fame) car." Scott and I looked at each other, baffled, not knowing what he was talking about. I gave him his Larry the Cucumber in its Larry Boy costume and hoped that would settle him down. It did. For about fifteen minutes. He got up again. We told him it was time to sleep. Sobs ensued, and pleading for his "Larry Boy car" (once again, no idea). As I was putting him back in his bed, I noticed his Larry Boy DVD case was open, and the flier that comes inside was also opened to, you guessed it, a picture of a Larry Boy car (toy). There was no nap, and there was much whining about the phantom car.

Our alumni arrived at 3:00. Caleb kept bursting into tears over the missing car. Nothing would appease him. At 4:00, I sent Scott, Caleb, and Jackie (alum) to the Christian book store in search of a Larry Boy car. Thankfully, they had one. Peace ensued. For a time.

Caleb has never done anything like that before. We don't watch TV with commercials. He looks at pictures of toys in ads sometimes, but we never buy them. We don't even take him to the store. And we NEVER buy toys unless there is an occasion (like a long plane ride where we need new toys to entertain him or a birthday or Christmas).

We have taught our son that if he becomes really distraught about something he sees, we will provide it. We did it in front of young, impressionable girls who will one day be parents themselves. We are the world's worst parents. Definitely.

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