Better in Theory than in Practice?

We saw it coming from across the field. Well, we saw it sitting there, still and silent -- far better than the potentially boy-eating garbage trucks that were roaring around the neighbourhood. A big truck, a flatbed, and a riding lawn mower! Milan and Owen spotted it blocks away, and chattered about it the entire five minutes it took us to draw near.
Ooooo! Shiny, red, and a MACHINE. The boys love machines. Love them, love them. The ride-on mower is pretty near boy-sized, even, unlike those giant, noisy, potentially boy-eating garbage trucks roaring around... Oh, I guess I said that already, didn't I?

Owen still loves the garbage trucks, Nora is largely oblivious to them, Willa, cheerfully interested, and Dominic fascinated, but Milan? Milan has become quite nervous of the noisy, lumbering behemoths of late. Wednesday morning outings devote a lot of air-time to discussions of where that truck might be, whether it's going to come down this street, and could he please stand on the other side of the stroller?

We know they can be a little scary because they're very big and noisy, but that the drivers are nice -- don't they wave at us, every week?!? -- and they never drive on the sidewalk, and that it's okay to be nervous, so long as we just keep moving. We know that because it gets discussed. Every Wednesday morning. Lots of times.

Turns out Milan's nervousness extends to ride-on lawnmowers, too. Intrigued though he was, this was a close as HE was going to get to that thing.
So when the nice driver got out of his truck and offered to let the boys sit in the seat, Milan was NOT interested. Nuh-uh, no thanks, no way, no how. Not getting on that seat. Owen, though, he managed to overcome his uncertainty enough to let me sit him up there. Mostly.

"Are you SURE this thing is safe?"

"Ilona? Are you sure HE'S safe??"

I felt for the guy. He worked pretty hard to warm them up, but they were a tough, tough audience!

But when we got home? Did we talk about the bouncy toys? Or the red house at the park? Or that one of the caregivers shared rice cakes with us? Or the giant hole they dug? Or the mud the other kids were making? Or the dog who visited the stroller? Or the squirrel on the play structure?

No, we did not.

We talked about the TRACTOR! And the BIG TRACTOR-MAN! And the TRACTOR! That cuts grass! And the YELLOW HAT! And the RED TRACTOR! And how only BIG boys got to sit on the BIG TRACTOR!

The tractor, the tractor, the TRACTOR!!!

Contrary little critters, two-year-olds...