just another shop
Today we shopped for a treat for Axel. We'd walked along a wide boulevard lined with shops on Sunday, displaying brightly colored books in their windows. The temptation was almost too much for Axel, as none of the shops were open Sundays. So this morning, which dawned sunny and clear, we walked back to find Axel his heart's desire, a train book.
The morning dawned with such promise, yet none of the three bookstores could give us the requested child's book about trains. (Incidentally, there was a Ukrainian translation of the German book on castles which Mychal had brought home from Munich a few weeks ago.) Axel was on a mission, so he insisted that we go to more shops (the first time I have ever heard such a request from him, but mostly because I refuse to shop in general.)
We found a huge department store; spanking new and filled with imported goods. Inside, we discovered a huge climbing structure--a plastic fire engine practically life-size. Children and parents began arriving; shoes and coats were removed, and the kids all played while the parents sat and watched. For a while, I tried to maintain the pretense that we were actually shopping, but when I saw the prices (Macy's prices for Target goods), I gave that up and stood around with the other parents to watch and listen to the kids play.
Poor Axel; it's all so confusing to him: playing on an indoor climbing structure in a big department store on a wintry day isn't exactly part of our repertoire at home. Nor is crunching through the snow to climb across the swinging bridge at the playground, nor sitting in his stroller for an hour while we walk around picking up our daily fare. Facing meat pies, meat dumplings, borscht, beet salad, fried eggs over meat patties--also completely beyond his ken. Worst for him, I think, was to discover that the library will not have train movies. It's no surprise that he reacts by falling apart in a rather regular fashion, but it is exhausting.
Still, it was funny, in a sad kind of way, to watch Axel fall apart after we left the department store when I refused to take him to "just another shop" as he quixotically searched for his train book.
The morning dawned with such promise, yet none of the three bookstores could give us the requested child's book about trains. (Incidentally, there was a Ukrainian translation of the German book on castles which Mychal had brought home from Munich a few weeks ago.) Axel was on a mission, so he insisted that we go to more shops (the first time I have ever heard such a request from him, but mostly because I refuse to shop in general.)
We found a huge department store; spanking new and filled with imported goods. Inside, we discovered a huge climbing structure--a plastic fire engine practically life-size. Children and parents began arriving; shoes and coats were removed, and the kids all played while the parents sat and watched. For a while, I tried to maintain the pretense that we were actually shopping, but when I saw the prices (Macy's prices for Target goods), I gave that up and stood around with the other parents to watch and listen to the kids play.
Poor Axel; it's all so confusing to him: playing on an indoor climbing structure in a big department store on a wintry day isn't exactly part of our repertoire at home. Nor is crunching through the snow to climb across the swinging bridge at the playground, nor sitting in his stroller for an hour while we walk around picking up our daily fare. Facing meat pies, meat dumplings, borscht, beet salad, fried eggs over meat patties--also completely beyond his ken. Worst for him, I think, was to discover that the library will not have train movies. It's no surprise that he reacts by falling apart in a rather regular fashion, but it is exhausting.
Still, it was funny, in a sad kind of way, to watch Axel fall apart after we left the department store when I refused to take him to "just another shop" as he quixotically searched for his train book.
posted by aelis at 8:31 PM
1 Comments:
i LOVE all your stories. love love love them. i feel like i'm there. and i'm really sorry about the electric burners but i have to say i'm not really surprised, it kind of had to happen that way didn't it? write more!
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