Tony and the Train Set

When I arrived home last night, I saw that Tony was crying because Jenny had just scolded him. I gave the tearful Tony a greeting hug and I then determined that he was crying because he had angered Jenny by his continual asking her to connect the train cars of the train set that she had bought him earlier in the day.

Jenny told me that she had regrets about buying Tony the train set.

All evening, Tony played with the set which was a simple plastic thing with six links of track and a four-car train. He laid down, on the ground, besides the train and kept watching it go round and round the tracks. (I made it more interesting for him by placing boxed and other toys by and over the track to create e tunnel effect).

When it was time to go to bed, Tony didn't want to sleep, and had one of his harshest temper tantrums ever. He stomped and continually cried "train, train!". He even pushed and pulled at his parents during what must have been a thirty minute tantrum that ended only with his going to sleep.

This morning, he got out of bed early and promptly, not showing the lethargy of a school morning, and ran into the living room to look at the train set.

Apparently, he wouldn't eat at supper -- so attached had he become to the train.