Where the Fire Engines Sleep

This photo is actually from a couple weeks ago, when Ben got to go to the local fire station and ride on a real fire engine for fire safety week. (I think that story had to get bumped for Aunt Devon and Uncle Rich’s wedding). But, this picture was too cute not to show, and I knew hot to tie it  into this week’s ramblings.

The other night, after a night out with Daddy, Ben and I were on our way home, but we had to make several detours first. The first stop was to drive by Gram’s house so Ben could see if Snoopy was still awake. Snoopy is the 6 ft. tall inflatable Halloween ornament on Gram and Gramp’s front yard. Ben was happy to see that Snoppy was indeed still awake (according to Ben he goes flat when he is sleeping). Of course Ben had already had us check in on Snoopy several times earlier that day by driving by.

That wasn’t our last stop however, since Ben decided we needed to also see Tigger. After driving aimlessly for several blocks Daddy luckily came across a Winnie the Pooh and Tigger lawn ornament which put a big smile on Ben’s face (and checked off two characters with one stop!).  Still, Ben wasn’t finished, and from the backseat I heard him ask me where Dora was? Since I had never seen and inflatable Dora the Explorer, I told him it was time to go home.

Ben still had other ideas, and asked if we could see where the fire engines sleep. The firehouse was only a couple blocks away, and it was on our way home, so Daddy caved and we drove by. Ben waved and said goodnight to the fire engines, which he could see lined up through the big glass doors. It was at this point that Ben finally declared it was ok to head home. (But only if we drove by the ‘big man’ on our way…the big man being the giant 8 ft tall inflatable Frankenstein that is two houses down from us. Ben says he is exercising because he is holding his hands over his head.)

The whole point of the story is that while Ben doesn’t act spoiled, he wants what he wants, and often we give into him because it is just too hard to deny that sweet little voice or that glowing smile. Ben definitely knows how to work it, but, Daddy has to admit, he did have fun searching for inflatable lawn ornaments and checking out the sleeping fire engines. And that was just the end of the night.

Earlier in the evening, we decided to stop in at Wendy’s for something to eat (with Ben’s approval). But Daddy had barely pulled into the drive thru line when Ben decided that he would rather go inside and sit down and eat. Of course there was already a car behind us, so when asked to order at the speaker, I had the pleasure of telling the woman that my son had changed his mind and that we were coming in. (I really am a push over for Ben, but again, we did have a fun time eating inside.)

Ben’s powers of persuasion work on more than just Daddy, though. Mommy gives in to him, too, although she seems to be able to put her foot down more often. (I think it’s a mom thing, because they know the kid will love them no matter what.) There have been many meals where Mommy has adjusted the food to fit Ben’s cravings. She may try to feed him apple sauce, but he will only take it if you put little fruit chews in it.  Or he will say he wants one of his pasta dinners, but you better make sure you get the right shaped noodles. If he says dinosaur noodles, don’t even bother trying the football-shaped ones! Mommy has it down to a science,and is pretty good at getting Ben to eat what is made for him.

Bed time is a whole different adventure, which Mommy usually bares the brunt of. Ben is usually pretty specific about which books he wants to read, or which buddies end up in his crib. Daddy has even heard Ben request that Mommy sings certain songs for him during bedtime. It all sounds very demanding, but at the same time, it is fun to see what he comes up with, and how well his memory works when he asks for things.

And last but not least, Ben knows this works best with the grandparents! One night this week Ben declared out of the blue that he wanted Gram to come give him his bath. We thought this was funny (and very unlikely to happen), so we had him call her to tell her. Well sure enough, 20 minutes later Gram was over washing Ben in the tub! And just tonight, Ben had been asking for donuts a lot, so when Gram stopped in on her way to the store and asked if we needed anything, Ben blurted out ‘Donuts!’ You know how this ended, the box of Munchkin are sitting over on our dining room table.

I don’t even want to know what goes on over at Nana and Poppops house…all I know is that Ben has them wrapped around his finger! Ben always comes home from their house happy, and Nana and Poppop look exhausted, so I can only imagine what he convinces them to do or him. I have heard stories of them pushing Ben on his swing for over a half hour, and I know there is a long list of little play rituals that the little guys insists on going through on his weekly visits. They have a hard time saying no to him, too…but they also have just as much fun putting a smile on Ben’s face.

So there you have it, maybe we are heading for trouble down the road by catering to the little guy like this. At the same time, Ben has a really great disposition, and it is very rare that he throws a fit or gets out of control if he doesn’t get what he wants (most of the time it is when he is over tired). I think the real secret, at least for Daddy, is that by giving in and going along with what he wants to do, it makes you feel like a little kid again too. After all, I would never think to go see where the fire engines sleep by myself. Maybe we would all be better off if we did more things like that.