Last weekend, we traveled to Tennessee for a family wedding. Me, John, my sister-in-law, and the kids piled into the van for the trip. We took our time getting there, taking 24 hours to make the 8 hour drive. The drive was relatively painless, though we did meet a police officer just outside of Indy who "warned" us not to travel 20 mph over the speed limit, but saved us a ticket. (John insists he performed a Jedi mind-trick, I think it was more the crying babies).
It was a fun weekend. The wedding was beautiful. The bride was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the weather was picture perfect. The kids had a great time getting to know their cousins.
Unlike the drive to Tennessee, we decided to drive straight through on the way home. At about hour 6, the kids mentioned that they wanted "Old McDonalds" for dinner because they both wanted a Happy Meal toy. Billy decided that the toy might be a Power Ranger. I explained that McDonald's had Batman toys right now, and that was just as good because Batman was a super hero like the Power Rangers. Billy didn't seem so sure.
At McDonald's, I ordered the two Happy Meals and clearly stated that they were for boys. I (thankfully) decided to look into the bags before handing them back to the kids. Who was staring back at me? Noneother than Prince Charming, complete with a powder blue suit and feather in his hat. It certainly wasn't a Power Ranger.
The lady at the drive thru explained that they had run out of boy toys and, if I wanted to "wait until the truck came", I could exchange Prince Charming for Batman. Not likely. Instead, I passed the bags back to the boys and waited for the water works.
To my surprise, TJ liked Prince Charming. (I think I'd rather he didn't but whatever). Billy, on the other hand, started to throw a tantrum. He did not want this toy. (Really, who could blame him?) A few minutes passed as we tried to calm him down, but the screams just grew louder. Tired of explaining how great this (stupid) toy was, I told Billy that he would have to just make the best of it. Maybe Prince Charming could be the bad guy to fight the Power Rangers. The feather could be the "shoot gun", I said.
Billy quieted down. After about 5 minutes, he happily shouted, "Mommy, I think that Prince Charming is really an evil shoemaker and is an enemy of the Power Rangers." With that, the tantrum was over and, once again, all was right with the world. What started as a trip to "Old McDonald's" turned into a life lesson -- Make the best of what you've got. I try to remember that every day.
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