Saturday, April 4, 2009

ICE CREAM TRUCK

As I write this entry, Aleita is sitting on the steps of porch, eating a bowl of grapes and forlornly watching the ice cream truck roll on up the street. About ten minutes ago, she came breathlessly running into the house, yelling that she heard the music from the ice cream man. I told her we were not getting ice cream today. Mainly, I let the ice cream truck roll on by because:

1) it is really expensive - - most items are $3 - $4, and I could purchase an entire box of the same ice cream treats for what one costs from the ice cream man


2) Aleita doesn't really even care that much for ice cream. She NEVER eats most of the ice cream treat she picks when we do get ice cream from the ice cream truck. Of a $3 treat, she eats about 50 cents worth.


3) perhaps I am just the meanest mom on the planet.


Aleita is more enamored with the idea of the ice cream truck than with the actual ice cream itself. Still, even though she knows she doesn't really like the ice cream treats all that much, it thrills her to no end to go out into the street and up to the window to peer at the selection of treats on the side of the truck. She loves to make her choice and have me fork over a wad of cash to pay for it. She then happily skips back to the house holding her ice cream, then after she eats about three bites of it, announces that she is finished and pitches the remainder in the garbage. I tell her that she is not going to get any more ice cream from the ice truck because she doesn't eat it and because it is expensive. She says she understands. Then, the next time the ice cream truck rolls around, she begs to start the process anew. This ritual never varies.


She was right about the ice cream truck being in the neighborhood today. He just rolled up in front of our house where she could get a perfect view of the kids with nicer parents and more expendable funds running up to the truck to get their treat. I held firm today - - no ice cream treats. (It was slightly easier because I didn't have TWO kids begging me at once, as Maggie is in Decatur with Chris at the moment.) I told her if she wanted a snack, I would be happy to get her one though --- she agreed, and I put some grapes in a bowl for her - -which is why she sitting on the front steps eating grapes while "all the other kids in the world except her get ice cream from the ice cream truck" - - according to her.

As you can see from the picture, this man and all his children go without shoes so that they can have those expensive ice cream treats from the ice cream man.

5 comments:

papadale said...

Ah, yes, the sounds of Spring, birds chirping, the wind rushing through the tree tops and the broken kites, and, of course the canned calliope music coming from the Good Humor Man being interrupted periodically by the same taped voice from Decatur Illinois to Cleveland Tennessee screaming HELLO!!!! every 4 1/2 minutes. Truly, some things never change.

kim cook said...

You're not the only mean mom. I won't buy for the girls either. The truck always comes by here around 5 in the afternoon when you are getting ready for supper. Not really good timing. It is kind of cute though to hear the music on a warm day (considering we grew up in the middle of no where and didn't have an ice-cream truck like that)!

Julianne said...

Yes, Papa Dale and Grandma Mary indulged my children with ice cream from the truck and now they expect it every time they hear, "Hello!"

papadale said...

Our work is now done in Tennessee.

Anonymous said...

I have been very careful to NOT tell my child why there is a pretty colored van that roams our streets singing shortly before dinnertime. I would have a sniveling 2-year old for SURE.