Holiday Trains and Marriage

P was mesmerized by the Citigroup train show last year, so we certainly weren't going to miss it this year! Our trek this time felt much more manageable sans stroller on the subway and minus the complexity of planning an outing around naptime. Four rocks :)

We went early enough in the week to miss the big crowds and slipped right into the free exhibit without a wait in line. P stood still, completely transfixed, at the start of the show.



The steady stream of viewers passed us by for a while until he realized there was so much more to see and began his forward momentum. But once we started moving amongst the other kids he felt too crowded. Then a friend of his found us and wanted to set right by P on the railing. For someone who has no sense of other's personal boundaries, the child has an Enormous need for personal space. So he skipped right past the rest of the exhibit, hurrying to the Very End where he planted himself beside the final wall of the snowy scape. For an Hour.

Our view...for an Hour:


He felt safe there and could let his imagination roam without worrying about people bumping into him or the pressure to "keep the line moving," mid-imagine. So he squished against the wall, pulled me to his other side, effectively blockading himself in, and just melted into the train world.

Imaginary BB (who does more and more these days) would be forced onto various trains that would then travel out of our sight to different parts of the exhibit. P would laugh maliciously as BB worried he'd never make it back to us. P eventually picked his favorite train (the biggest one) and decided to hop on it. The first time it rode away from our squat he requested I ride too. The next time he was ok with just BB going along and by the time we left he was riding (granted, in his mind alone) the silver bullet train all by himself.

Except that there was a problem. He noticed that "his" train's pattern became irregular. This vexed him greatly. My mind, working much differently than his, thought such chaos was probably normal;) He insured me it was not and preceded to stress about the situation (as he was supposedly on the train that had disappeared and not yet returned as steadily as he planned.) Eventually, the train came - but then sat still at the green light in front of us for Forever. Then it went around - but ran a red light. All of this was Very Important to P :)

So it was with great relief that one of the "conductors" came past us with a flashlight, inspecting the tiny track. P insisted I ask the man if all was well with the silver bullet line. Apparently, irregularity amongst train shows is Not normal ;) and there was a short on P's fave track.

Reassured that he wasn't crazy, P relaxed that his train would reappear when ready and enjoyed BB's imaginary ride on another train line. Once the silver bullet made a final loop past us his buddy coaxed him away from the show with toy trains he had brought in his bag, creating an unusually smooth transition for us.

After a picnic lunch in Barnes and Noble we surfed the crowds on scooter to Rockefeller Center. I had hoped it was early enough to miss the masses, but no such luck. By the time we rounded the corner to the tree, P was growling at the crowds, pissed to all hell that there were so many people In His Way :) Had it been a block further the little man may not have held up, but all of the shiny lights and immensity of the tree melted his angry little heart and left him gawking alongside the irritating tourists :) But as we neared the tree you could see his need to Get Away rise quickly. There were just too many people for him, so we squeezed up a flight of stairs to some fresh air and he enjoyed the tree from his (more) solitary vantage point. His little friend, however, wanted to sit right beside him, possibly even hug, and I thought P might fling the poor child down the stairway when the eager youth saddled up next to a pushy P.

I suggested we peer into the skating rink to avoid a scuffle and P jumped at the idea. As we watched a group of skaters leave the ice to make way for the next onslaught of freezing, teetering tourists, one guy got down on his knee, in the middle of the rink, and pulled out a ring. The cumulative "aww" from the crowd cued P that something special was happening and he studied the skaters closely. It was surprisingly touching (and voyeuristic) to view, and provided P with plenty of questions. But the questions, for the most part, would have to wait until that night. A zamboni entered the ice and stole the show for the preschool set. Its slow, serpentine path of smoothness left P hopping, yet speechless.



As we brushed our teeth that night P asked when we could go to the train show again. Then he asked when we could go ice skating. Then he asked if that was how Papa and I got married. Then he asked again when we could go ice skating. Then he asked if I thought it was nice, someone asking someone to marry them while ice skating. Oh, sure, what did he think? He said yes, he liked it a lot. Then he told me when we go ice skating, that's how he's going to ask me to marry him :)