In which santa fails to bring a pinacosaurus but no one really minds…

 

This photo was taken on Minty's last day of kinder.  It was such a special day for her.  She's loved this year of kinder so much and I think we were both a little sad to see it come to an end.  She was (somewhat ironically given her behaviour this week!!) an angel in the nativity play.

After the play there was a visit from the big man himself.  As santa handed out gifts for all the kinder kids and their younger siblings, a horrifying thought dawned on me.  I had forgotten to bring along a wrapped gift for santa to give to Turi.  At that moment Turi turned to me with a look of unbridled joy and excitement and said to me, 'does Santa have a present for me!?'  He was virtually shaking with anticipation.  This was surely my greatest parenting failure to date.  I murmured something to the effect of, 'we'll have to wait and see', and then gripped the Mr's arm while we exchanged one of those all important parenting conversations spoken only with furtive glances and meaningful eyebrow twitches.  My panicked gaze said something along the lines of, 'sweet baby Jesus I forgot to bring a gift!!!', and his eyebrow mexican wave signalled back, 'seriously? Since you're in the habit of forgetting vital things do I need to ask if there is also a lit candle next to a curtain somewhere at home?'   

And then, ever the practical problem solver, the Mr swung into action. He surreptitiously cut a square of wrapping paper from a roll on the kinder craft table and disappeared out the front door for a few moments.  He returned with a frond of kangaroo paw he had cut from the bush out the front, which he then wrapped in the said paper and handed to the kinder teacher to slip to santa.  As I watched the other siblings unwrapping dolls, books and brightly coloured markers I was sure we were sunk.  I was mortified and certain that somewhere in the future a therapist would be secretly thanking me for funding his or her trip to Tahiti.  Surely an entire chapter would be dedicated to this incident in Turi's future memoirs.  And then the moment of truth arrived, Santa called Turi's name and he ripped open the package.  Shockingly he wasn't even the slightest bit disappointed.  He adored his kangaroo paw and clutched it lovingly to his chest.  When it came time for Santa to leave Turi flung himself on the floor sobbing and wailing, 'but I'll miss him'.  Ever since Turi has been proudly telling whoever will listen, that Santa brought him a kangaroo plant.

Crisis averted.  Moral of the story… don't leave me in charge of remembering anything.  And maybe (or am I reaching too far here?) materialism in kids is more a product of our own expectations.