I started a writing challenge for the month of December. The challenge is to write something every day that has to do with the writing prompt. Today I am writing about something that happened two years ago with my son Justin. The prompt is Advent Calendar.
“Oh, it doesn’t have lights!”
For the last two months, all I’ve heard from my son is how much he wants a train set for Christmas! He talks about it all the time. I mean ALL. The. TIME.
“Justin, do you want more milk?” “Santa is going to bring me a train set!” “Justin, put on your shoes please.” “I want the red train with lights!” “Justin, it’s time to get ready for bed.” “Oh, it’s almost Christmas! Santa is bringing me a train!”
Yes, he talked about it night and day! Justin has disabilities and when he gets focused on something, he stays focused. Unfortunately, he got focused on a train for Christmas at the beginning of October. As the days passed the stress was wearing on both of us. This train set with a red train that had lights and batteries was all he could think about and all he talked about all day, every day!
By November 10th, most of my friends and family had suggested just giving him the train early. That sounds simple, right? Give him his train and we could all be happy. So simple. If only it worked that way. You see, my son didn’t just want a train track with the red train with lights and batteries. He wanted the train track with the red train with lights and batteries for Christmas, from Santa. I knew from many past Christmases that trying to give the gift early did not solve the problem. The problem was time.
I had the train track with the red train with lights and batteries in my closet. It was the exact one he wanted. I bought it the day after he saw it in the store. It sat there mocking me. Its happy packaging greeted me at the end of the day as I went to change into my pajamas as though one more voice was telling me that Justin wanted that train track with the red train and lights and batteries and Justin and I would both suffer until I could give it to him.
Then I had a brilliant idea. You know, the kind of idea you have when you are exhausted, and you have already heard that Santa is bringing a train for the 25th time that day? I bought a train advent calendar! Yes! I was ready for my mom of the year award! He would love to get a little train every day and it would take his mind off the wait for the train we all knew he wanted.
I couldn’t wait for December 1st. I brought Justin to the advent calendar and helped him open the first window. I waited, fully expecting him to be excited about the miniature version of the train EVERYONE knew he was going to get for Christmas. Justin looked at the train and sadly said, “Oh, it doesn’t have lights.”