Tantrum on the Train: A Christmas Story

Each Christmas, the mall is decked out with animated holiday animals, oversized trees, and the always popular Christmas train. Having experienced the train at Easter, my then 2 year old son was thrilled by the return of the train. He eagerly waited in line, as patiently as any 2 year old. As we neared the front of the line, he became nervous. He had been going through a separation anxiety of sorts recently and it was again rearing its ugly head.

We took a mulligan and headed to the back of the train line to wait one more time. He again became nervous, asking me to ride in the train with him. Yes, please let me cram myself into a miniature train meant for toddlers. Motherhood is full of sacrifices but riding the kiddie train at the mall would not be one of them. Using my parental powers of persuasion, I coerced him into one of the train cars and then jetted to the exit where I would wait and wave outside the fence.

I barely made it to the gate when I heard someone yelling for me. I turned around to see my son in tears and the train operator flagging me down. I retrieved my son and prepared to leave the mall. But, wait. He wants another chance at the train. He wavered back and forth. Finally, I made the executive parenting decision that train riding privileges were revoked for the day.

That did not go over well. He immediately launched an impressive tantrum, one of the highlights of motherhood. I carried my son kicking and screaming through the mall. For a moment, I worried that someone would think I was kidnapping him. I suppose the "Move aside for the angry mother of a naughty toddler" look on my face deterred any thoughts of stopping me to verify that the thrashing child was indeed mine.

Strapping him into his car seat was an exercise in endurance. It should be an Olympic sport. It takes talent to hold down the flailing appendages long enough to buckle the harness in place. He eventually conceded but became very sad and cried the entire way home. The motherhood guilt inside of me nearly turned the car around and gave him yet another chance at the train. But I thought it wise to save some shred of sanity for the next parenting dilemma which would surely be waiting just around the corner.