road trip

I took Martin and his sister out to their grandparents' farm in Indiana. Here's a breakdown of our adventure:

THE GOOD:

Not to get all Platonic, but Martin had some wonderful moments. He raced across the backyard in order to converse with cows in their pasture. He had yet another round of birthday presents and birthday cake. He tried new foods, including coffee cake and banana cake. Martin also tried rolls, which was surprising because he was certain he would only like bread that was flat and not round. While getting a kid to try a new cake flavor might not be a victory in most households, it is like taking a beachhead in ours.

THE BAD:

When out of his normal routine, Martin needs even more downtime than usual. He needs things that comfort him because vacations mean that things in his day are new and not routinized. The easiest way for us to provide downtime on the road is to let Martin have extra computer time. I often feel a bit bad about this. Just when Martin is with people who love him and who don't get to see him enough, he needs more time alone. I'm sure it seems anti-social, but it's what we have to do.

THE UGLY:

Or maybe this is hilarious? Martin's meltdown of the weekend came when I denied him the privilege of watching the Muppet Show episode starring Ethel Merman. He had already watched it earlier in the day. We don't let him repeat episodes in order to stave off obsession. That strategy works for us just about as well as it did for the Montagues and Capulets. Martin cried. Martin kicked his feet. He looked me with big, pathetic eyes and cried, "Please, please let me watch Ethel Merman." He cried out her name over and over. For a moment, I thought that I might be the only mother on the planet whose six-year-old son sheds tears over this late star of the Broadway stage. But then I remembered that David Sedaris must also have a mother.

Overall, it was a good trip.

It is so, so good to be home.