Yesterday, I needed gas for my car. I decided to wait to get it until after I picked Caleb up from school, so he could come with me and get a treat if he had behaved in school (we have had a little trouble with C not obeying his new teacher, so we have started rewarding him for a certain # of good reports). As it turned out, C had indeed earned his treat (yippee :0)!!) and we were off to the gas station. To be completely honest, I was so proud of C for behaving well, but I was also nervous about going into the gas station. C usually becomes easily overwhelmed in a new place, especially a small store, chock full of tempting items and people. The thing that causes me the most tension in places like a gas station is C tends to dart away from me extremely quickly and I can lose sight of him really easily. Those situations always give me flashbacks to the time we spent in Russia, where I lived in a state of panic (over the fear of losing my son in a foreign country) for the entire week and a half (even while I was sleeping).
Anyway... we went in, I told C what he could pick, he picked it, and we went to the counter to pay. As we were paying, it suddenly dawned on me! I had, just at that moment, realized that C had stayed with me the entire time we had been in there. I had never had to chase him, I hadn't had to force him to hold my hand... I hadn't even said a word to him about staying with me. As we stood there at the counter, C just chatted away to me and really seemed to be relaxed and enjoying himself. I have never seen him so relaxed... and so ... normal in a situation like that.
Wow!
I am beyond thrilled that C is showing signs of being able to enjoy something as simple as going to the gas station with his Mommy to pick out a well-deserved treat :0)
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