During dinner tonight, Ryan made a very exciting announcement:
Ryan: "When we were playing outside this afternoon, we heard a train horn. And Morgan said it was probably The Polar Express. So when it stops at our house tonight...can we get on it?"
Mike: "Sure."
Me: "Absolutely! If The Polar Express comes to our house tonight, you may absoLUTEly get on it."
(Ryan was so relieved that we agreed...then the excitement set in. The horn, by the way, is the car horn of a man in the neighborhood who loves honking it as he drives around. It sounds exactly like a train. We had no idea what it was until he drove by our house one day.)
Ryan: "So I need to stay up really late to wait for The Polar Express. Is that fine?"
Me: "Actually, if you remember from the movie, the boy was asleep when it pulled up to his house."
Ryan: "Oh YEAH. And his whole room shook and that's what woke him up."
Me: "Exactly."
Mike: "In fact, if you're awake, it won't come. You HAVE TO go to sleep."
Kaylin: "Then we should leave out our robe and slippers. So they're easier to grab before we go out the front door."
Me: "Good thinking!"
(at this point, the kids were so excited that they could hardly sit still in their seats, let alone eat their dinner)
Kaylin: "Can Jason come?"
Me: "No, he's too young. Plus, he probably wouldn't listen and obey the conductor, so we'll keep him at home with us."
Kaylin: "Okay. I wonder if they'll have cocoa...?"
Ryan: "Of course they'll have cocoa! Remember the 'Hot! Hot!' song from the movie? We'll get cocoa...and probably cookies...and we'll take the train all the way up to the North Pole to meet the REAL Santa Claus."
Kaylin: "Yay!"
Ryan: "And I bet I'LL get the first gift of Christmas."
Kaylin: "I'll get the second gift."
(while getting ready for bed, I overheard Ryan in his room)
Ryan: "Jason...now you have to be a very good boy for Mommy and Daddy. Ryan is going on The Polar Express tonight and you need to be very, very good while I'm gone. Okay?"
Jason: "Okay, Ry-yun."
Kaylin: "OH NO! I don't have any slippers!!! Will they let me on the train?!!?"
Ryan: "Yes, but you have to wear something. It can't be flip flops, though. Those aren't allowed."
Kaylin: "Let's leave everything out in the hallway."
Ryan: "MOM!? Can we do a practice run? Here. You be the train. Make a train sound and we'll run out of our bedrooms and see if we can get our robe and slippers on in 5 seconds."
(Dry run ensued...turns out 5 seconds was too short. We decided 20 seconds was plenty of time.)
Ryan: "Oh GREAT, Mom. I just cleaned up my room and," (tears filled his eyes...I kid you not) "...when the whole house shakes, it's going to mess it all up!"
Me: "Don't worry, buddy. I'll help you clean it up again."
Kaylin: "I'm kind of scared."
Mike: "You don't have to go if you don't want to, honey."
Me: "Remember the little boy, Billy, who almost didn't get on The Polar Express? The conductor was fine with it...he wasn't mad at all."
Ryan: "But I'll be there, Kaylin, so you'll be fine."
Kaylin: "Okay. I'll just decide when it gets here."
Ryan: "Mom, will the ticket just appear in my pocket?"
Me: "I have no idea...you'll have to tell me in the morning."
Ryan: "When we were playing outside this afternoon, we heard a train horn. And Morgan said it was probably The Polar Express. So when it stops at our house tonight...can we get on it?"
Mike: "Sure."
Me: "Absolutely! If The Polar Express comes to our house tonight, you may absoLUTEly get on it."
(Ryan was so relieved that we agreed...then the excitement set in. The horn, by the way, is the car horn of a man in the neighborhood who loves honking it as he drives around. It sounds exactly like a train. We had no idea what it was until he drove by our house one day.)
Ryan: "So I need to stay up really late to wait for The Polar Express. Is that fine?"
Me: "Actually, if you remember from the movie, the boy was asleep when it pulled up to his house."
Ryan: "Oh YEAH. And his whole room shook and that's what woke him up."
Me: "Exactly."
Mike: "In fact, if you're awake, it won't come. You HAVE TO go to sleep."
Kaylin: "Then we should leave out our robe and slippers. So they're easier to grab before we go out the front door."
Me: "Good thinking!"
(at this point, the kids were so excited that they could hardly sit still in their seats, let alone eat their dinner)
Kaylin: "Can Jason come?"
Me: "No, he's too young. Plus, he probably wouldn't listen and obey the conductor, so we'll keep him at home with us."
Kaylin: "Okay. I wonder if they'll have cocoa...?"
Ryan: "Of course they'll have cocoa! Remember the 'Hot! Hot!' song from the movie? We'll get cocoa...and probably cookies...and we'll take the train all the way up to the North Pole to meet the REAL Santa Claus."
Kaylin: "Yay!"
Ryan: "And I bet I'LL get the first gift of Christmas."
Kaylin: "I'll get the second gift."
(while getting ready for bed, I overheard Ryan in his room)
Ryan: "Jason...now you have to be a very good boy for Mommy and Daddy. Ryan is going on The Polar Express tonight and you need to be very, very good while I'm gone. Okay?"
Jason: "Okay, Ry-yun."
Kaylin: "OH NO! I don't have any slippers!!! Will they let me on the train?!!?"
Ryan: "Yes, but you have to wear something. It can't be flip flops, though. Those aren't allowed."
Kaylin: "Let's leave everything out in the hallway."
Ryan: "MOM!? Can we do a practice run? Here. You be the train. Make a train sound and we'll run out of our bedrooms and see if we can get our robe and slippers on in 5 seconds."
(Dry run ensued...turns out 5 seconds was too short. We decided 20 seconds was plenty of time.)
Ryan: "Oh GREAT, Mom. I just cleaned up my room and," (tears filled his eyes...I kid you not) "...when the whole house shakes, it's going to mess it all up!"
Me: "Don't worry, buddy. I'll help you clean it up again."
Kaylin: "I'm kind of scared."
Mike: "You don't have to go if you don't want to, honey."
Me: "Remember the little boy, Billy, who almost didn't get on The Polar Express? The conductor was fine with it...he wasn't mad at all."
Ryan: "But I'll be there, Kaylin, so you'll be fine."
Kaylin: "Okay. I'll just decide when it gets here."
Ryan: "Mom, will the ticket just appear in my pocket?"
Me: "I have no idea...you'll have to tell me in the morning."
(Teeth brushed, robe and slippers moved around a few more times...taken OFF of the rail knob so the pocket won't rip, like in the movie.)
Me: "Ryan, can I talk to you for a second?"
Ryan: "Sure."
Me: "I want you to be prepared for the fact that The Polar Express may or may not come tonight. Are you prepared if it DOES come?"
Ryan: "Yeah...we have all of our stuff ready to go."
Me: "Great. But what if it doesn't come? Will you be mad tomorrow?"
Ryan: (looking down) "No."
Me: "Will you be disappointed?"
Ryan: "Yeah."
Me: "I just want you to be prepared both situations. The train may come. Or it may not. Are you okay either way?"
Ryan: "Yeah, I guess."
Me: "Alright, buddy. If you do go tonight, remember to be safe and have fun. Be a good example to the other kids and make lots of memories, okay?"
Ryan: (blushing) "Okay."
(same conversation with Kaylin)
Mike: "Time for bed, guys."
Kaylin: "Daddy, will you come with us?"
Mike: "No, honey. Remember in the movie? The parents slept through the whole thing."
Kaylin: "Oh. Okay. G'night."
I couldn't make this up if I tried.
We have never had a conversation like this in our house before. Mike and I generally aren't the parents who go along with the fairy tale. But tonight? Both of us were in the mood to roll with it.
My kids love the magic behind Christmas. And to think that I considered telling Ryan about Santa this year...? I would have crushed him to the core. He's already frustrated that I don't do The Elf on the Shelf. Oh yes, I told him he's not real. Don't worry...he knows to keep the secret. But his friends are so convinced that he actually asked me if I'd move our elf around into fun, new places every morning, "...just like Jake and Joe and Lexi's moms do..." (For a reminder about why we chose not to do The Elf, see this post from last year...I still laugh every time I think about it.)
He's so not ready for the truth. If Jack Nicholson were here, he'd tell me that Ryan can't handle the truth. This kid is going to believe long after it's normal and healthy for a child to believe.
Just like his mama did.
We have never had a conversation like this in our house before. Mike and I generally aren't the parents who go along with the fairy tale. But tonight? Both of us were in the mood to roll with it.
My kids love the magic behind Christmas. And to think that I considered telling Ryan about Santa this year...? I would have crushed him to the core. He's already frustrated that I don't do The Elf on the Shelf. Oh yes, I told him he's not real. Don't worry...he knows to keep the secret. But his friends are so convinced that he actually asked me if I'd move our elf around into fun, new places every morning, "...just like Jake and Joe and Lexi's moms do..." (For a reminder about why we chose not to do The Elf, see this post from last year...I still laugh every time I think about it.)
He's so not ready for the truth. If Jack Nicholson were here, he'd tell me that Ryan can't handle the truth. This kid is going to believe long after it's normal and healthy for a child to believe.
Just like his mama did.
I read this and my heart filled - for your kids and mine. Last year, at 4 and 6, our kids asked the Santa in the mall all about the train (he had to brush up a bit). My kids already have permission to go whenever it arrives and I've told the younger that she can take along her brother, but that adults aren't allowed on the train (almost exactly like your conversation). I love to see them filled with the magic of the season - it makes it so much more for us too!
ReplyDeleteDo you have the bells? We found them at Hallmark several years ago and they loved them.
At school, we based our grade 2 students' party around the story, seating them as though they were on the train, giving them cocoa, handing them each a bell with a tag (text copied from the real bells my kids have). A great day!
Have fun with the magic of the season!
Too. Stinkin. Cute!!
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm, my little monster and his friend are watching Home Alone right now. If he follows Ryan's example, I dread to think what HE'LL ask to do tonight! ;-)
ReplyDeletexoxoxooxoxoxox
I so loved this story! WOW.
ReplyDeleteJust like his Momma is right. He'll ask eventually, and that'll be one tough conversation for both of you. No hurry, no worry!
XOX
Mom
The use of train horns for motorcycles because of a Conflict with The Times. EXAMPLE The noise produced by the horns a Cree Many disturbances in the particular dance areas well ll residential areas. IT led to a ban of the locomotive horn in some regions like Florida in the United States.
ReplyDeletetrain horn You can also install truck train horns for fun. This is because they usually come in a variety of models which produce different sounds. For instance the mow of a cow, or a cartoon or certain TV programme. Because most trucks have large bonnets, the train horns can easily fit under their bonnets
ReplyDeletetrain air horn kits and trucks offer a wide range of options for the discriminating customer. From a wide option in designs to the ability to select combinations that produce traditional as well as unique sounds, there is something for just about every taste.
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE this! Oh, the joy of being a child!
ReplyDelete