The Great Present Caper

My mother has been sending boxes of Christmas gifts! Which has been like water torture for 3 year olds. He cannot handle it. It is so very exciting and then completely anti-climatic when I tell him it's not Christmas...yet! It destroys him.

My mother had mentioned that there were a few things that were unwrapped for him in the box (she must have raised a few 3 year olds before). But there were none. (Come to find out there are other boxes and we just didn't get the one with anything opened.) So I made an executive decision to let him open one present early. Just one. I thought that this would alleviate the building anxiety I was witnessing. I was wrong.

I eventually asked Bob to move the present upstairs so that they were not staring at him day in and day out. Again..wrong. He went ballistic. I have not seen a melt down that large in a very long time. We negotiated. He could go "look" at the presents upstairs but was under strict instructions to not touch a single present. This seemed to work. There was no meltdowns and I got quite a lot done with Grant napping and Aid staring longingly at presents. He continuously came downstairs and checked in and I went upstairs to make sure he was adhering to the rules. He was.

I went back down patting myself on the back. What a problem solving genius I was!

I was mopping the kitchen and talking on the phone with a girlfriend when I realized Aid hadn't come to check in around the time he had been. I mentioned it. "You don't think he is opening any do you? I did strike the fear of God into him." I even added my scary mom look for good measure. Apparently I am not very scary.

He walked down holding a Triceratops dinosaur, lovingly cradling it saying, "My dinosaur came back to me...." I was livid. After the time out and the following melt down Aid walked over to me and quietly said, "I'm sorry mama for opening the presents."
"I appreciate that," I began. "Wait. Did you open more then one present Aidee?" "Come see mama."

Dread filled my stomach. "Oh Lord, here we go," I thought. Yup. Every single present had been opened. I gasped. "Get downstairs right now Aid." He put his tail between his legs and went downstairs. I sat taking in the scene of the crime. And I noticed something. He had not just opened presents. He had opened them and then discarded them to the side. He was searching. I am still not entirely sure how he knew there was a dinosaur in that mix. But it was a very intentional hunt.

I was simultaneously mortified and impressed all at the same time. And he got some points for admitting to his crimes instead of just letting me find them.

And to think, we still have a week until Christmas and more boxes to come.

The anticipation will kill him I am sure of it!