the XBOX debacle

Tuesday November 30th started out as any other "normal" day at the Chastain house.  The Captain was off to work, Rigg was fed and enjoying a lovely 30 minutes of Curious George, I was doing dishes, cleaning up breakfast...mom stuff.

Rigg was playing well by himself, climbing in and out of an empty laundry basket and driving his dump trucks around, so I decided it was OK if I busied myself in the other room for a minute.

It turned out to be NOT OK.

Whilst in the other room I heard a strange clicking noise, made note... did not skedaddle to see what it was. Clicking continues. After a few minutes, I finally get up and go see what it is.

What met my eyes when I entered the room could be considered the most horrendous moment of my being Rigg's mom...

Rigg was sitting on the floor in front of the TV cabinet gleefully whacking the eject slide of the Captains brand new XBOX with his tiny fist.

As I stood frozen in place from shock... he started to giggle.

I think steam might have billowed out of my ears.

I ran* over to him, removed him from the XBOX zone. Firmly stated NO (maybe a few dozen times) and smacked his little hand. I placed him on the couch and turned back to the crime scene... and burst into tears.

( *it was probably more of a fast waddle)

I sat on the floor in front of the mangled XBOX and tried with all my might to get the eject slide to go back in. It wouldn't budge. Whatever Rigg had done, he had done it well. I was gentle... not going in. I was not so gentle... still not going in. As I sat on the floor cradling the broken XBOX, I cried. Rigg sat on the couch cradling his red, throbbing hand and cried...

Appropriate...

I was so upset...the XBOX had been the Captain's birthday present. He never asks for anything, but this year he said he would like a XBOX. So with a good sale and a great gift card and a little extra $$ we were able to get it. He really liked it...played it all of 5 times...

and then along came a 17 month old... and a mom who wasn't watching.

When I realized I was not smart enough, nor talented enough to fix it... I knew I had to call the Captain and relay the bad news... the death of his new toy. He picked up on the second ring... "I have some really bad news. Rigg broke your XBOX. (burst into hot tears) I am SO sorry."

His response... "Oh, is that all, I thought you were going to tell me Rigg got into a cabinet and he drank some bleach or something." 

IS THAT ALL? WHO IS THIS MAN?

He then proceeded to try to calm me down and said it was just a toy... a piece of plastic, that he loved Rigg and me much more then any game...

I reminded him it was a very expensive piece of plastic and that it was something he really wanted and Rigg and I turned out to be much cheaper per use then the XBOX... I am not sure why I was trying to persuade him to be angry or upset... I just knew I was both of those things, and I hadn't even played the thing. He continued to say he was not upset... these things happen when you have little children ( I was thinking... they shouldn't if they had a mother who was watching them!) and that it was going to be OK.

He was right. I called the store they said it was returnable... we went out last night and exchanged our broken, sorry excuse for a gaming system for a(nother) new XBOX.

The Captain suggested we put it on top of the TV cabinet this time. I agreed.

When I recounted this story to a close friend, she replied. Well, that is the response of a man who has lost a daughter and has had brain surgery... perspective and priorities...

God had much mercy on me yesterday. I am so thankful... for a really great return policy, for the store having one in stock, for a husband that didn't even flinch at my "horrible news", for a husband that is a GREAT example of what I should be and how I should forgive, and for a moment I can now look back on and see how much God cares for me... even in the "small" things of life.

I just hope He doesn't have to care for me in that way again...