Bust My Bumpers!

 

When we gave Benjamin his first Thomas Wooden Railway set for Christmas last year, we had no idea how this seemingly insignificant gift would affect our family.

I guess I shouldn't say insignificant, because from the start, we knew this railway was going to mean a lot to Ben. A few weeks before Christmas, on our way home from visiting a friend whose son has an extensive Thomas collection, Ben said--in a wistful little voice--"I wish I had lots of trains." I felt so sad for my little Ben, but at the same time so excited, because I knew Santa already had a starter set stashed away in the Christmas closet.

 

It wasn't long after Christmas, though, before we realized that a starter set was not going to do. This wasn't because Ben needed more trains--or even more track. We've trained Ben to be a grateful little boy (no pun intended!), and all our hard work usually pays off. He was happy to play with his Thomas, boxcar, and caboose on his wooden figure-8 track.

But Daddy . . . that was another question. Daddy wanted more track. He also wanted more trains. So after a few trips to Toys R Us that problem was solved--or so you would think. Unfortunately, each piece of Thomas wooden railway comes with a little catalogue craftily inserted. These catalogues show not only all the 200+ engines available (at no less than $15-25 dollars each!), but also all the buildings and other accessories that appear in the 200+ Thomas videos that we were starting to borrow from the library each week.

 

So now in addition to having Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, Henry, and Toby, we also NEEDED to get the Sodor Bay Bridge, the Roundhouse, the windmill, the engine wash, and a multitude of other overpriced wooden items! Of course, we haven't bought all of these things--we wouldn't want Jason--oh, I mean Ben--to get spoiled. But they are on our list of must-have's for the future.

Oh, and then there's Janae, who wants to get Harold the Helicopter, and Mommy, who would really like to get Cranky the Crane (and I'm sure that's the only reason Jason sometimes uses that as a little nickname for me!).

 

But with all of this family-wide Thomas obsessing and overspending, there has been a lot of good to come from our Christmas purchase. We have had hours of creative fun as Ben and the rest of us have built amazing tracks, many moments of instruction as we have taught Janae not to throw trains or wreck the track, and lots of humorous new expressions that Ben has come out with.

For example, one day last week when I told Ben we would have to go upstairs and wake Janae up from her nap, Ben responded with, "Bust my bumpers! I wanted to play some more!" (He was playing Thomas--what else?). Some of my other favorite Thomasisms that Ben has adopted include "Rubbish!" "Cinders and Ashes!" "You have caused confusion and delay," and, of course, "Little engines CAN do big things!"

Ben's baths have become "washdowns," his bedroom his "shed," his feet "wheels," and any sore tummies, "boiler aches."

So, this Christmas? Well, we'll have to wait and see what Ben puts on his list, but you can bust my bumpers if Santa's elves aren't going to be hard at work on some wooden railway items!