I asked Ernie to pick me up from work a few minutes early the other day as I needed to drop something off at an office in downtown Champaign. It was a block from Fries and Peanuts so I had thought perhaps we could sneak away for a quick drink but when he showed up he said there was major drama at our house. About a month ago Owen had ordered these little Lego-compatible things so he could have a Link/Legend of Zelda figure. It took FOREVER to get them which made for a lot of drama as well. He got them the other day and they have to be painted so yesterday Ernie took him to get paint. Evidently Owen got all set up to paint but spilled paint on the little sword and got hysterical. Ernie calmed him down and rinsed off the sword. Then....as he carefully dried it with a paper towel....it broke.
Yes.
Broke.
The tiny little Lego Link sword he'd bought himself and waited weeks and weeks for.
Sigh.
He dove into full fledged hysteria and began to berate his father. Eventually this progressed to him hysterically telling his father that he ruins everything. Ernie attempted to reason with him which is TOTALLY useless when he's in that mode so eventually HIS temper flared too and he told Owen that this couldn't be the worst thing in his life because he didn't even HAVE a life yet.
Ahem.
This did not go over well.
I fearfully entered the house only to find Owen sitting on the couch eating a bowl of rice crispies while quietly weeping. He looked up at me and said, "Dad said I didn't have a life and I DO." Oh Lord. Leo was playing Minecraft in the kitchen and just shook his head over Ernie and Owen when I asked him how things had been going. I eventually got Owen calmed down, apologies were made on both sides and he decided to work on painting the shield. A few minutes later the howls began again. Sigh. He had spilled blue paint all over the dining room table. My sister Judi's table that I tell everyone to be careful of. I got the paint wiped off....all that is left is where the blue paint filled in a little cat scratch.
Owen sobbed in my arms awhile and told me he ruined everything. I assured him he didn't and that everybody has accidents. We decided to put off painting for the evening. I walked into the kitchen and said to Leo, "huh...I've only been home 20 minutes....and yet it feels so much longer." He just grinned at me.
Here is Owen off to school with his cello this morning....