The Water Slide

The Water slide: Banzai Sidewinder Falls

Do you all see the amazing water slide above.  It looks like fun.  It looks inviting.  It looks tempting--especially if you are 4.  Welcome to my world...

Last Friday, I was at Target with my three kiddos and making my way around the store picking up stuff we needed.  We happened to be back by the toys and my sweet Dallin sees the box for the above water slide.  It is put on a low shelf-right at his eye level.  He stares.  I am oblivious to all of this and insist that he joins me as we move on.  He reluctantly comes.  He lasts about two minutes and then starts,

Dallin: "Mommy, you have to come see this thing!!"      

Me: "What thing?" (still looking at stuff)  

Dallin: "This really cool thing, you have to, you have to!!!"    

Me:  "Uh huh?!"

This goes on, the same conversation repeated over and over for about 5 minutes until, I finally stop and give the boy some attention.  After awhile of the crazy insistent begging I finally agree to head back to the other end of the store to figure out what he is talking about.  We get over there and behold, I swear, he knelt down to it like it was royalty, "LOOK MOMMY!"  I look. "Can we get it, can we Mommy, Please Please Please!!!"

I look at the price tag:

$474

WHAT?!?!?

NO.NO.NO.

So, I say, Dallin sweetie this is a very expensive toy, I try to put it into perspective and compare it to how many shake and go cars it would take to be equal to that much money.  No.  It doesn't work.  He throws himself around the box and begins to cry and scream.  I try to be rational for just a couple more minutes.  Then out of desperation I tell him that if Daddy says yes we  can get it.  Sorry David.  We call--David laughs. Dallin cries some more.  David figures out the price with tax $513. We hang up.  I finally have lost all nice mom and swoop him up.  There is no place to put him, Kylie is in the seat part of the cart and the  cart itself is overflowing.  I half carry, half drag him to the check out line.  He is still screaming and crying and clutching my neck.  We get out of the store and I just about blow. I knelt down and told him he was being a snot and a brat and we do not have snotty brats in our family, so shape up!!  That stopped the screaming, but the sobs continued.  He cried all the way home--quietly, pathetically, sobbing.  Half an hour later he finally stops and I stupidly think all is forgotten. Later that afternoon he  comes and asks if I can get it for him for Christmas.  I tell him I don't spend that much on him for Christmas.  (He didn't think to ask about Santa--interesting...) Then the pouting replaces the sobbing and we go on.  

A few hours later Dallin comes in my room with the biggest smile on his face--looking proud.  He shoves a piece of paper in my hands and says, "Take me to the bank!"  Again, "What?!"  He produced a $1000 Pirate bill, left over from his 4-year-old pirate birthday party.  He knew that I took paper money (i.e. checks) to the bank and I have explained the process of the bank "giving us the money" in our account.  So, he had found his loophole.  He had found his pirate money and he was sure the bank would give him what he needed to get his water slide--poor poor Dallin, there was a lot of explaining going on that afternoon.  Clever kid though-I've got to give him that!