During the summer vacation from school my gardener brings his six year old son along. He enjoys lifting weights with my smaller barbells and doing most anything with the dog. If I’m home, I try to schedule my cake buying errands during his stay so we can pick out sweets together but nothing is as sweet to the lad as ice cream.
This week, since it was hot, I offered to take him to the ice cream store and his face lit up more than a firework. I forgot how important ice cream is to the under a meter set.
He agonized over what flavor to get his father and pondered at length over his own selection. Luckily the young man behind the counter was loving the lad and showed him every possible combination of chocolates until the boy settled on a blue flavor. What that flavor actually was baffles me. (Unlike my mother who was quite clear about her desire for butter pecan to be her last meal, so it was.)
Then the wee one discovered those rock hard pieces of chocolate shaped like, well, rocks. He was put off by the 12 pesos sticker shock until I reminded him I was paying then they slipped into his pockets with cat like reflexes. I thinks some lads in Ciengieta were enjoying the splendors of chocolate flavored rocks later that day.
It reminded me of when my oldest son was around four and I was knee deep in trying to get him to stop crying when thwarted. Nobody likes a cry baby boy in kindergarten! My standard spiel was getting him to think, before crying, if the situation was “a big deal”.
One day the lad wanted ice cream just before nap time. I was a single parent, not a stupid one, knowing the sugar would keep him awake, promised ice cream as a perfect post-nap summer activity. However, after said nap the ice cream shop was closed and he burst into tears. Before I could get on my knees and do the “Is this a big deal?” spiel be blurted out – “This” snivel “is a” nose blow “big” puffy eyes “deal” wail.
All I could say to that logic was “Good point. Carry on, soldier.” Hopefully now that he is at the quarter century mark he has a bit more control over his emotions and ice cream dependency.
So, if you have a tot anywhere in your life, take him or her out for ice cream before the fall weather hits. Nothing is more important than ice cream in this heat to certain folks that aren’t above screaming for ice cream.
Joseph Toone is the Historical Society’s short-story award winning author of the SMA Secrets book series. All books in the series are Amazon bestsellers in Mexican Travel and Holidays. Toone is SMA’s expert and TripAdvisor’s top ranked historical tour guide telling the stories behind what we do in today’s SMA. Visit HistoryAndCultureWalkin
