"Momma! Look! Look at our spaceship!"
She turned a page of her magazine, and did not look up. "It's lovely," she said.
"Mom!" cried Javier, as the spaceship lifted off, and the roof folded aside to let it pass. "You're not even looking!"
Saturday, December 22, 2007
~Liftoff by kj~
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The Box
It never fails. I spent days shopping for the perfect gifts for Derek and Adam. I put hundreds of miles on the car driving around looking for just the right things. I wrapped each of the 45 gifts with extreme care. This was, after all, the first Christmas that they were both excited. They both got into to it.
Christmas morning was loud and messy and loud. But in the end they ended up in the box that had held the new t.v. for their dad. And they stayed there for hours. I couldn't even get them out for Christmas dinner. They actually ate dinner in the box (they said they were prirates on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean).
It never fails. The simplest things bring the greatest joy.
Return Policy
Caryn and I weren't cut out for this, and if you knew us, you'd understand. I don't recall how we ended up with them anyway. A little too much to drink on New Years' Eve, I suspect.
They weren't bad at first. Caryn had specified happy ones, so it wasn't like we had to deal with a lot of screaming and whining. We got some mileage out of dressing them up, taking them to the zoo, that sort of thing, but after a while, we both realized it wasn't what we wanted in our lives. Fortunately, Caryn hadn't thrown out the original packaging. Wear and tear is minimal. I suspect we can still get a full refund.
"Momma! Look! Look at our spaceship!"
She turned a page of her magazine, and did not look up. "It's lovely," she said.
"Mom!" cried Javier, as the spaceship lifted off, and the roof folded aside to let it pass. "You're not even looking!"
A box? For a Christmas present?
You should have heard the derisive roars from the other parents. They had already purchased video games, toys galore, train sets, bicycles, or movies. Many had bought things that came INSIDE boxes, but the box itself was understood to be cast aside to get to the important stuff inside of it.
Maybe I was just more practical about it. Having a bit of the spirit of a child inside of me, I remember how quickly any present with a limited function loses its appeal and gets tossed aside. A box presents all sorts of fun. One can hide in it, combine it with other boxes to make a tunnel, enclose their little brother inside it, and a wide variety of other things.
Not meaning to gloat, not meaning to say "I told you so" but I ask you, whose present gets the most attention from the kids?
Mine.
A blender. A computer. A Wii. A gourmet dinner. A Barbie castle. Legos. They all come with instructions.
Kids. There's no such thing as instructions included.
You wing it. You blow it. You hope and pray for the best.
I've blown it so many times I've lost count. Am I messing with their heads, self-esteem, learning potential, earning potential, happiness potential? Have I blown it for good?
I look at my kids playing in a box and think, "Good for you, go for the simple. Go with your imaginations. Think outside the box."
In the next minute I look at the fingerprints of food and paint on the walls. All I can think of is, "I have to clean those walls again."
I'm not fair. I yell. I'm tired. But I try.
I realize my instruction booklet comes from my parents, and how they were with me when I was growing up. I take what I think is best and leave the rest. They tried, too.
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