It was one of those mornings.
Michael was tired. He’d had a busy and exciting weekend at Grandma’s, had a long journey home yesterday with no nap, and he was in no mood to get back into the routine.
He didn’t want to go to school, and daddy was late as it was.
“C’mon, Michael. We have to hurry,” I said, gathering my stuff turning off lights.
“I want to eat something,” he said, quietly, as he sat down at the table.
“I offered you breakfast half an hour ago. It’s too late to sit down and eat. Let me get you some cereal and a banana and you can take it in the car.” I quickly poured some Froot Loops into a baggie, poured some juice into a sippy cup, snapped a banana off the bunch and grabbed Michael’s hand.
“I want my blue blankie!” he said.
“Then go get it!” I barked. He scrambled up the stairs, fumbled around in his room and came down the stairs only partway, then sat down where he was.
“I don’t wanna go!” He cried, tired tears rolling down his flushed cheeks.
“Michael, look. Mommy already went to work. Daddy has to go. You can’t be home alone. You always have fun at school. Now, come on. It’s time to go.”
I led him out to the car, buckled him in and handed him his breakfast.
“I don’t want the banana,” he told me, taking the cereal and juice and holding them in his lap, on top of his blankie.
“You don’t want this?”
“No,” he confirmed.
“Okay, I’ll keep it,” I said, and tossed it in the front seat.
Off we went. I could hear Michael’s soft sniffling in the back seat. He was clearly not pleased at the thought of being shuffled off to school on the heels of his exhausting adventure the week before.
Several minutes passed, the sounds of sniffling giving way to the sounds of munching on cereal.
I decided to eat the banana myself, since he didn’t want it.
Several more minutes passed.
“I want the banana now,” he said, softly.
“Sorry, kiddo. I already ate it.”
Silence.
Then, a low wailing began to rise from the back seat.
“Please!” he cried.
“Michael, you said no. You said you didn’t want it.”
“I’m saying yes now!” he bawled.
“I’m really sorry, Michael. It’s gone. See?” I held up the empty banana peel and wiggled it around for his inspection. This only increased the severity of his cry.
“But I wanted it!”
He wept bitter tears over the loss of the banana.
I tried to explain that this is an important life lesson: Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself only for a short time and is gone.
I’m not sure if he got the message this time, but I’m sure he will eventually.
Carpe Diem.