Today was a disaster. It rained all day and mid afternoon we had a burst of torrential rain. Yet again it was unsuitable for us to go and do the outdoor activity that Laura and Sam had planned, so instead I offered to take them to the cinema. They refused and after intense negotiation I surrendered and agreed to take them to Toys R Us and then to an out of town shop that Laura wanted to visit.
The first 20 minutes at Toy R Us were tolerable and I managed to dissuade Sam from some of his more crackpot desires and I wandered to a different section to look at jigsaws. Sam came to find me clutching a very expensive baseball bat and ball and also a rugby ball. I pointed out that he had nowhere to play with such things safely and that with the weather as it is he would get more enjoyment from something that he could do in the house like a computer game or some sort of craft set. He was equally determined that his life would be blighted forever if he couldn't have a baseball bat. I reminded him of the events of last summer when he was playing in the garden with his old baseball bat, with his very first hit he managed to break Laura's bedroom window. Fair enough, accidents happen (especially to Sam) but several weeks later he broke the same window and when breaking the news to me he cheerfully pointed out that at least the man would know what size glass to bring! Needless to say I refused to replace his baseball bat - his old one mysteriously disappeared!
We left Toys R Us with Sam in a major strop and my hands itching. His fury continued all afternoon and well into the evening and my patients were tested to the limits of endurance. With the help of my very well practised deaf ear we both survived the experience and by bedtime Sam was almost back to normal. Asking his usual stream of questions. Among several other things he wanted to know how exactly it is possible to kill 2 birds with one stone. There is no way that we are shopping tomorrow - it's too dangerous!
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