Now, I had envisioned an awesome train display in this doctors basement. The kids would be free to look around and enjoy the trains running. I envisioned Patrick having a BLAST! So I dressed him in his I love trains shirts and his conductors hat and off we went.
He was in a great mood when we got there, tummy full from lunch and everything. This house was GORGEOUS and like I envisioned the display was in his basement. We walk down and there are two rooms. One big one with a train table and two small train displays running and a smaller room.... this should of been my red flag. The smaller room had a HUGE table set up with a magnificent display. The man had EVERYTHING! Every little knick knack for a train display was there and everything moved. So we all packed into this room, as per the doctors orders.
WAIT A SEC! The trains aren't moving and this place is getter smaller by the min. People keep packing in and packing in. At this point we are crammed far from the door (other red flag) and Patrick is starting to get antsy... he wanted the trains to move! Now the doctor starts a little speech about his trains and blah blah blah.
Patrick is now biting his shirt and I'm thinking.... once this thing starts he'll be happy, just wait... hold out!
So he starts the thing! WOOHOOOOOOO! Patrick's eyes are so wide taking everything in. This is great! Everything is spinning and lighting up and the train is zooming around. He is instantly HAPPY!
BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!
Than the train stops..... oh goodness..... and the doctor starts "telling" a story about how the train needs to pick up this and the train needs to drop off that. All fine and good, just get the train moving again, is all Im thinking. Patrick doesnt understand any of this and is now whining. He just wants to watch the trains. So the train moves for a min or two and it stops again, doctor "tells" a story and the train moves again. This goes on for about 10 mins (seemed an hour lol).
Patrick is now crying.... Just run the stupid train!
Now for the Pièce de résistance....
The lights turn off... all the lights. It is pitch black. Patrick is now clinging to me, totally over whelmed.
Lets recap the situation for a sec....
Small room
No space
Tons of people
It's HOT
He has no clue why he just can watch the trains run
And there is NO escape routine, unless I mow over 20 people
AND NOW IT IS PITCH BLACK... sigh
The doctor now starts "telling" another story about how they get the lights back on... just shut up and turn them on is all Im thinking at this point... I got a scared, over stimmed child! So slowly all the lights are back up and Patrick is DONE! All he keeps telling me is "ALL DONE, ALL DONE" and all I can tell him is SOON.
Im sweating and beet red and Patrick is a mess. The doors open and he blots for the door and of course NOBODY it letting me through. Cant u see I have a mess of a child, god knows they heard him through this whole thing. GRRRRR
FINALLY AIR! Patrick than goes over to the train table in the bigger room and it is packed. No matter how big a train table is and no matter how many trains there are, there are NEVER enough. The train table quickly turns into the table of tears and that sends Patrick one step closer to the edge. So I quickly swoop him up and take him to another display were there is a Thomas train running around the track.
PERFECT!
Well at least until he wants to touch the trains.......
STICK A FORK IN HIM! Tears are running down his face, snot is running out of his nose and he is bitting everything is site.
sigh***
I had such good intentions and so did this lovely doctor. All I wanted is my son to have a fun time watching trains and all the doctor wanted was to show off his trains and to put a smile on kids faces.
My poor son fell asleep the MOMENT we got into the car and I feel like a witch bc I took him.... ALL WITH GOOD INTENTIONS.....
This was like us at the train museum. 3 tables and hundred little boys fighting for Thomas. Then he got his hand on the bug display and put a toy cow on the train tracks and derailed the train set.
ReplyDeleteThis hit me on the inside. These were the things that happened that kept me from going anywhere. Because I knew in my heart I wanted to do something good and fun but in the end I felt like a disaster. ((((HUGS)))) to you, I know how you feel, you did a great job regardless :)