Parent’s Corner: the joy of waiting \ stacker news ~alter

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624 sats \ 11 comments \ @cryotosensei 10 Nov alter_native

The civil defense forces organised an outreach program yesterday. It was a comprehensive carnival as kids could take a stab at wearing mini-sized fireman costumes, take Instagrammable photos inside police cars, and even simulate fire fighting with mock extinguishers.

None of this galvanised my child’s attention as much as a balloon sculptor.

Other kids and parents must have felt the same way because the queue in front of the sculptor never let up. It was easily the highest demanded attraction in the carnival; scores of children and parents waited patiently for their turn to get a balloon sculpture.

I hate queues as a rule and hoped that I could divert my son’s attention by getting him cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream. But 15 mins before the official closing time, he said that he wanted a Pikachu balloon.

So, we queued. If I had insisted on my own way, I knew that my ears wouldn’t get any rest that evening, so in some instances, it would be best to go with the flow.

6pm came and left. And we were still queuing.

The balloon sculptor stood up. He apologised to those at the back of the queue and said that he could no longer make balloon sculptures for them.

By this time, my son had ditched me, in favour of watching the sculptor at work. It seemed that he wanted to savour every part of the experience.

After some time, the sculptor stood up and dismissed some more parents. Luckily, I was still in the queue.

My luck didn’t last for long. The sculptor stood up again and dismissed me. What?! After one hour of waiting?!

Don’t worry, I didn’t flare up because I was determined to get a Pikachu sculpture. I was more than ready to apply some soft persuasion on him.

My son had the same idea too. It so happened that he had brought along his Pikachu soft toy. He dangled it in front of the sculptor and stated his request. He was polite but persistent.

It felt like watching a master negotiator at work. The sculptor finally relented to my son’s incessant harassing. He gave us what we craved:

So proud of my boy. He is shy around strangers, but I guess when push comes to shove, he goes after what he wants. Keep up that go-getter attitude!

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68 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined 10 Nov

Good for him.

My dad learned how to do balloon sculptures this past year, because he's always looking for fun hobbies. It's been a big hit with my daughter, but the houseful of balloons that start randomly popping after a couple of days is not a huge hit with my wife.

19 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei OP 10 Nov

Same here.

That’s why we have to decline the McDonald’s aunties who sometimes walk around to give the kids balloons. The wife is not amused!

15 sats \ 1 reply \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 10 Nov

You’re very lucky. My father met my oldest son when he was just learning to walk. Then he had a heart event (don’t know if it was a stroke or a heart attack) that blew out his short-term memory. Unfortunately, you need short-term memory to facilitate loading into long-term memory. So, my next two sons were born after the event. When we repatriated, my father could never remember the younger sons’ names, but could the oldest’s name. They used to walk with him when they could, but he had lost a lot of his speaking abilities, too. You and your kids should cherish the time they have with their elders.

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 10 Nov

Yes, we're very lucky that our daughter will get to know her grandparents fairly well. I only really knew one of mine.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE 10 Nov

You must be proud of such a harrasment by your kid. I'll root for him to make it more difficult for you the next time.

Well done kiddo!

38 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby 10 Nov

Kids are supreme negotiators.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 10 Nov

Yes, most people cannot say, “No”, to their kids. It is very difficult.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei OP 10 Nov

The best!

24 sats \ 2 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 10 Nov

Looks like the kid is into Pokémon! I think I see Pikachu, don’t I? The kids really go for that anime.

20 sats \ 1 reply \ @cryotosensei OP 10 Nov

I must say it’s a welcomed shift from that tiresome Anpanman haha

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 10 Nov

I think Anpanman had only one plot, every show, didn’t it? Are they still airing Crayon Shin-chan? I used to get a lot of belly laughs from that show. The kids liked it, too, when we let them watch it.