Marvin's Birthday

Today is my son’s 4-year-old birthday. We planed a party and invited some of his friends come to the party this noon. When I brought him to Costco this morning to buy food and drink for our reception, I think I “made a mistake”, but an interesting one. I knew that I shouldn’t have taken the way through toy section in the store, but I did. That brought me lots of trouble, as most parents have experienced. Marvin was totally amazed by the toys, especially transformers, dinosaurs and race cars. We are not parents who buy everything asked by their kids. Usually, my son is a reasonable kid when I tell him that we should discuss with daddy before we decide to buy a new toy, but today things were not that simple. He wanted a set of 20 race cars, which I have to admit are really hunky-dory. I told me as usual that we had to talk to daddy when we went home and made the decision together. His response was pretty plausible, “Last time when I came here, Daddy said that I should discuss with you.” I realized that he had seen the same toy when he came to Costco with his daddy two weeks ago. Obviously, daddy had already kicked the ball to mommy. The buck-passing game could not continue any more because daddy and mommy are not supposed to go back to their words, isn’t it? And suddenly, I found out that the boy in front of me started to have his own precise and explicit logic. In terms of buying new toys, setting a principle is important, but disappointing him sometimes may lead to his distrust on parents. So, he got his desirable race car set.
On our way home, I told him that mom and daddy did discussed about buying this toy set and appreciated his understanding and patience, and this toy set was also a reward for his comprehension for principles. Our 4-year-old young man seemed to be quite delighted with his new toy and flattered by mommy’s praise. I was pleased too. Although I made a mistake by going across the toy section, spending twenty dollars reinforcing my son’s attitude towards principles was also a valuable lesson for me. Principles should not only be obeyed by kids but also parents. Trust is a two-way track, which is extremely important for young kids when their philosophy is shaping.
The party was awesome. Kids were all attracted by the colorful race cars. They shared the toys and all really enjoyed Marvin’s birthday party. Marvin, of course, was the most exultant one, who dressed with his new Ralph Lauren shirt, met with his friends, got lots of B-day gifts, blew his candles and blessed by everyone.

New Vocabulary:
hunky-dory: perfectly satisfactory; fine
flattered: being pleased or gratified the vanity of
exultant: marked by great joy or jubilation; triumphant