Crash Cars

Last night we took Harmon to the demolition derby.  We left Sammy with G-Pop (Kelsey’s dad) and Grammy because it was at night and it was too late for her.  It was past Harmon’s bedtime too, but this was more important.

Just as Kelsey feared, it was too loud for Harmon, and he got scared.  While she spent most of the night in the concession area below the bleachers (waiting to buy me a hamburger and fries), I tried to take him up to see the races.  But every time we got up, the roaring of the engines was too much for him, and he begged to go back down to Mommy.

Finally, she got the food, and we all climbed the stairs in a quiet period and went back to our seats.  Soon the races started back up.  Kelsey held Harmon and covered his ears while I fed them both french fries.  Harmon was tired and nervous, but he settled down and if not enjoyed, seemed to tolerate the races.

The annoying, indecipherable announcer was the loudest part.  Every time Kelsey took her hands off Harmon’s ears, the announcer would start up again with some thing banal and indecipherable to try to amuse the crowd.

She’d ask “Do you want to go home?”

“No.”

“Do you want a drink?”

“No.”

“What do you want?”

Harmon would mildly answer “Cover my ears.”

The boat races (2 cars with a boat tied inbetween) didn’t happen.  Technical difficulties forced them to have to be towed off the track.  We were ready to go home, but the buses were lined up.  Kelsey said we’d go after that.  Harmon seemed to warm up to it then.

The buses weren’t nearly as loud, and besides, a pink bus careening around a figure 8 nearly t-boning another bus is pretty dang entertaining.

Still, we left after the buses and before the smash-up derby, and as we walked across the parking lot, Harmon lit up and said “I love you buses.  Goodbye buses.”  He was all for staying to watch the rest of the races, but we thought we’d better leave on a high note.

And G-Pop had called and complained that our baby was crying.

Harmon talked about the races all the way home and the first thing he said when he woke up this morning was “Harmon go see the cars race?”  Followed by “Harmon ride on the bus?”

Now, he didn’t actually watch the races, and didn’t like the little bit he did see, but I think he’ll be ready next year.  Tonight he was crashing his cars together and carefully turning them upside down before sweeping them off the table and shouting “Crash cars!”

Remember though, that we left before the demotion derby.