Ben in under the purposeful impression that toy stores are the same as museums. You make look on in awe and take in the splendor. Occasionally you can touch and as a rarity you may ride on an overpriced motorized jeep if said toy museum happens to be Toys R Us. Never Never do the toys LEAVE the store however and the explanation that we have to leave them for other little boys to see seems to suffice.
Until today.
We went to Homescence to buy our Christmas angel gifts for the 7 year old girl and boy we selected. Ben was admiring the "artifacts" that had tripled since our last visit in light of the season. He is happy to hold a box, admire it and then replace it and hold something else. We have this down to a fine psychological science. Then with all the sudden excitement he could muster I saw him tear down an isle to pick up an already opened and mangled box of Tonka Truck books.
"OHHHHHHH I LUB DEES"!!!! he squealed and plopped himself down in the middle of the isle to read the 6 mini books inside. Other mothers smiled as they looked on, grandmothers cooed his adorableness, I took this opportunity to pick out our gifts quickly. I gave him a good ten minutes with the books and told him to say goodbye to them. He generally complies and off we go. Not this time. He stared at me in horror.
"Nooooo Mommy! PEEEEES Mommy- Ben take dem home wif me?!"
"Oh no Ben, they have to stay in the store with the other toys so another boy can look too".
I swear he rolled his eyes at this point as if to say "ya ya I have let you go with that crap every other time...but not this time!- but he is smart enough to know he will get further with the big pleading puppy dog eyes than a tantrum so he resorted back to his original stance of being pathetic.
"Okay Ben (as the studious eyes of the other Mother's looked on from their corners) you can hold it while we go to the check out but then you must give it back to the lady okay?"
"Okay Mommy". Whew!
He clutched this mangled box to his chest proudly and gratefully as we walked up the isles, to every passing person he exclaimed;
"Yook what I have!!! I LUB dem!" (oh fabulous).
they smiled; charmed, while my little pool of dread filled a little more each time; the check out looming ahead.
The line up we joined appropriately had an older couple in front of us for Ben's indulgment. Judging from the mountain of toys in their cart, they had a grandson (or 5) the same age as Ben.
"Yook what I have!" Ben beamed again at the man who instantly lit up at our little Tonka loving extrovert.
"Oh, yes what have you got there Buddy?"
Well didn't Ben wow them with his knowledge of everything about trucks right there and then and look expectantly back at me...
mmmm hmmmm. At this point I started to entertain the thought that this would not go as planned. I snuck a quick look at the underside of the carrying box.
$8.99!!!! Two days before pay day- not mine of course...my full time job has yet to pay me in anything other than wet kisses and snot souvinirs on all black clothes. Accepted gratefully of course, but does not bode well for bartering purposes and thus does not leave us a lot of room for impulse buys...(did I mention that it was already opened, played with, probably transporting H1N1 and that out of necessity and skill I am exceptionally frugal....there was no SALE sticker in sight on this box...)
We're up.
"This box is broken and opened. I am wondering if you can take some money off the price considering the condition of it".
"Can I see the box please"?
Ben clutched said box to his chest... "NOOOOOOOOO MY HOLD IT!"
"ummm, can't you see it from there?"
"Yes, well, the books are not damaged and that is really the value so I don't think I can take anything off, sorry".
mmmm hmmm.
We are now the proud new owners of (full price) museum quality Tonka truck books which are currently in bed with him and will be forgotten about by Friday.
But boy you should have seen him grinning walking out that store!
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