Highs & Lows

Today we visited a shopping district in Shanghai --this city is HUGE-- and it was nice to see some of the more traditional Chinese items for sale, compared to the very modern and somewhat Westernized part of the city where we are staying. We bought a few items, but our shopping was curtailed by a 20 minute tantrum in the middle of a bustling square. Our guide had gone into the sild factory with the other family and Yaojie had a major meltdown --in retrospect, I should have just bought the toy!! Of course, it wasn't just about the toy, he's been such a trooper almost all of the time, but sometimes the changes, the sensory overload, the communication barrier and the medical aspect just culminate in a kicking-and-screaming display. I sure don't blame him --but I go the feeling that some of the locals who gathered around us in a semicircle to watch sure blamed us! There we were, 2 Americans holding a raging Chinese 5 year old... we were met with stares, suggestions of spanking him, and offers for more toys to buy... none of which were helpful! Eric went to get our guide, who Yaojie went to right away and calmed down, leaving me feeling dejected, but still thankful that he was calm. I should note that Yaojie had a similar meltdown at 3am because he wanted to go downstairs and have a big meal --no cracker, pb&j sandwich, banana or grape would do... my boy likes to EAT! In this case he eventually wore himself out but then wanted to stay up and play. One good thing is that he still wanted me right next to him despite being upset and immediately wanted a hug once he calmed down. But for most of the day, Yaojie was very happy and easygoing. He behaved wonderfully at breakfast (keep that congee coming!), in the taxi, on a boat ride, when the waitress never brought our lunch and we had no way to explain that we hadn't received it, during a cool tea ceremony we went to... he really is very mature in many ways. My almost-4 year old would never have sat for so long! And we had a very nice quiet time in the room, playing with stickers and Playdoh. He did have 2 more tantrums, one because we just couldn't understand whe it was he wanted to play with and the other because he wanted pop.. now that one deserves its own entry... :)