Mall Meltdown

Whenever possible, we have avoided taking Timmy into crowded situations. He is at an age where we cannot control his vocal outbursts, and his two year old stubborn mentality lends itself to tantrums when his mischief efforts are stymied. Out of respect for the general public, Scott and I have been careful about where and when we venture.

This past weekend, in an attempt to soak up some holiday spirit without actually having to do any work ourselves, we packed up and headed to the mall. I knew that Timmy would enjoy the lights, music and excitement of holiday shopping. We also hoped that browsing through the stores might provide some elf inspiration for Robby. (He is at such a difficult age, too old for toys but too young for clothes and other electronics.)

With Timmy happily wearing his harness (i.e. leash backpack) he happily hopped along through the mall corridors. (I was relieved that he refrained from barking, which is his frequent mode of communication when wearing his puppy backpack harness.)  We were proud of Timmy's admirable behavior as we walked and window shopped. Scott and I even began to plan other family community outings with our well-behaved little Hamlet.

I was delighted when Robby took the bait and ushered his Daddy into the hobby shop. While Scott was gathering elf intel, Timmy and I meandered through the mall and ended up in front of the escalators. Hamlet was absolutely mesmerized by the moving stairs, nervously clutching my finger as he tentatively took a stop onto the platform. After the first ride all nerves were erased by my little escalator riding thrill seeker. 

We spent the next forty minutes going up and down the same escalators. He never tired and his smile seemed to grow with each ride. After Scott and Robby emerged from the store Timmy insisted that they go for a few rides as well.  Robby obliged, but after three more rounds we decided it was time to move on. Timmy disagreed with our decision.

Our happy little cheerful escalator surfer morphed into an angry red faced tyrant in the middle of the mall. He threw himself down, refusing to move by wrapping his arms around the kiosk signs. After a brief attempt at coaxing him to leave, we pulled his leash in order to break his grasp. We quickly decided it was time to just remove ourselves from the situation. Scott managed to carry our planking little toddler, who was wailing at the top of his lungs, through the mall and into the car. Robby and I followed, dutifully apologizing to everybody who glanced at the scene our little cherub was creating. 

After we strapped him into his car seat and escaped the scene of the meltdown, Scott declared that he was not returning to another mall or escalator with Timmy for a year.  With a self-imposed restaurant ban still in effect for several months, our opportunities for community socializing are becoming scant.