Sunday, March 13, 2011

You Can't Make This Up

It's all Toy Story 3, all the time at our house these days.  Santa was kind enough to brng Aiden the DVD, but even more treasured is the Toy Story 3 game for his DSi.  Now that's a hit.  What's interesting is how he plays the game.  While he does play through the game in the intended way from time to time, what he really loves is exploring the minor details of Andy's house.... and recreating them in ours.

Need an example?  In Andy's kitchen, if you prowl around you'll see three pots in soak in the sink.  So, of course, I often find three pots covered in suds in my sink too.  The Woody character jumps on lever door handles to open doors in the game.  We don't have those kinds of door handles at our house, so Aiden has been kind enough to cut some out and tape them to our boring, standard issue door knobs.  In the garage at Andy's house some tools are hanging on a peg board.  We now have the exact same arrangement on hubby's peg board.  Are you starting to get the picture?

It's all in the details for Aiden.  It's what makes him such a fantastic little artist, easily mastering the art of three dimensional drawing.  It's what he enjoys, and although his preoccupation with detailed      re-creation can be frustrating at times, particularitly when your furniture is constanly being rearranged whenever you leave a room, we know that it is  exactly this focus and fine-tuned thoroughness that will lead to his success in the future.  If he is blessed enough to work or study in an area of great interest, his results will be boundless.  He'll never tire of small details, his brain is hard-wired for acting as a fine tooth comb.

But from day to day, while he is so young, his exhaustion of an interest can be challenging.  And this is the part I could never make up.  There's a scene in Toy Story 3 where Woody is in a bathroom, and a janitor enters with one of those big housekeeping carts to clean the bathroom.  Well, guess what.  Aiden's gymnastics centre has a similar cart, and his interest and enthusiasm for it now makes it difficult to keep him in the gym.  He's been talking about playing with the cart all weekend. 

But wait, it gets better.  He has realized that you can purchase these carts, and that is what he's asking the Easter Bunny to bring him for Easter.  When we explained to him that those carts were very expensive, and not really necessary for use in a home, the tears started.  And the pleading, and the repeated questioning as to the Easter Bunny's intentions.  The acquisition of a Rubbermaid Housekeeping Cart is now goal number one in his mind.  And once he gets something in his head....

The chances that he'll have forgotten about this before Easter? Pretty well slim to none.  So, what do you do?  What would you do?  I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I think we're oscillating between sending an early letter from the Easter Bunny explaining the unlikelihood of him bringing such a large gift, (he doesn't have a sleigh like Santa after all, just a small little basket) or....shelling out $300.

We'll see.  It's like I said, you can't make this up. 

6 comments:

  1. Oh, that's a doozie! I'm thinking I got off easy with mine wanting a book on refridgeration units and compressors....they don't make small one's the size of MatchBox cars do they? Maybe on E-bay??

    I'll think on this one, keep me posted...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Try eBay. I bought that mop and bucket thing for about five dollars on eBay. The dolly looks like a Home Depot thing, but start on eBay. I'll bet it wouldn't be fifty dollars there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you live in Pennsylvania, here's one for 50 bucks. http://cgi.ebay.com/MAID-CART-RUBBERMAID-6150-/270713521427?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f07c88513#ht_500wt_922

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lizbeth and Dave, thanks for your help! I know that a search for such an item seems comical, but you seem to understand that the need is real. Incidentally, no luck on ebay, we live so far off the beaten track that shipping from ebay usually far exceeds the item price. right now he has one fashioned out of his sister's toy shopping cart and my mop and bucket. Hopefully that will keep him satisfied for a while....
    Natalie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Any luck??? I was thinking, if you get desperate, can you make something out of Lego's?? Just a thought.

    Totally not comical---their need is real and for that we as mom's (and dad's) go to the ends of the earth to find something that will put their minds at ease.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Know exactly what you mean, one of our boys favourite toys is a plastic toy cleaning trolley with all the accessories. The other thing you could try is getting a " Rolobox" kit which contains wheels and screws and bolts to turn any cardboard box into something with wheels and help him make his own. I know the impossibility of deviating them away from an obsession. Luckily our most recent one was a white chicken and we have come through with that one.Good luck.

    ReplyDelete