The Wizard Through Other Eyes



I picked Mary & Valerie up to take them to see the Wizard of Oz. They had looked forward to the activity with great enthusiasm so needless to say we had a great time. Aaron had talked with Janele and said something about does your mom realize or how is she going to handle it when Mary wants to run up and down the aisles (like she does at movies). Janele said that her mom wouldn’t let her get away with that. It never became an issue. When we were at the play Mary didn’t have mom and dad with her who knew her games and what she likes and doesn’t like so she felt a little insecure. After all how often has she been so far away from mom and dad, not known how to get back to them and HAD to rely on someone else for her safety and security? Once we found our seats she climbed right up onto my lap and stayed there the whole time. I had offered to change her diaper before the play began but she didn’t want to. By the time intermission came around my leg was soaked.


During intermission we dashed out as quick as we could and stood in line to buy some goodies. I bought Valerie a brownie which turned out to be a mistake. After the purchase I needed to head for the bathroom line. I told the girls that was our next stop and told them to stick close to me. But they’re not quite used to this mother duck and when I made my way through the treat lines I looked around and both girls were missing! I found Valerie-a good 25 feet away from the treat sales and headed back toward our seats, contemplating her brownie. I made my way back through the lines (not yet crossing my legs) and got hold of her then faced my wave of panic as I started looking for Mary. She was only four feet away from the treat table and not sure what to do next-her panic of feeling lost (separation anxiety) starting to set in. When we got up to her I had her hold one corner of my blouse and Valerie hold another corner of my blouse and we made our way through the lines again to go stand in the bathroom line (25 people long for 3 toilets). Now I had a moment to unwrap their treats for them.


Mary, being the youngest and not as capable at unwrapping cellophane was the first to get hers unwrapped. She seemed reluctant to give it back to me-I think she really wanted it. But finally she allowed me to and she was quite content to consume it. Valerie showed how fearful she was that her brownie might contain nuts that she couldn’t let herself eat more than a couple nibbles and then insisted that I take a bite and check for nuts. There were none, I reassured her of this and explained that walnuts are generally put in brownies and they have a distinctive flavor of which I was quite familiar and I couldn’t taste any in it, and then I handed it back to her. She pulled a couple microscopic pieces from it and then wrapped it back up and said I guess I’m just not hungry and gave it back to me.

Mary more than happily shared her huge Rice Krispy treat with Valerie-they were both happy. Just as we were returning to the auditorium for the second half of the show and Valerie and Mary were finishing off the last of the treat, Valerie stopped eating her last bite (about a tablespoon’s worth) and turned to me and said here, I’m full. I hadn’t had any treats (didn’t really want any) but here she was sharing what had been shared with her. Here she was realizing that I hadn’t had any and wanted me to have some as well. To tell her no thank you would seem so ungrateful for her unselfishness and willingness to sacrifice. I accepted and had my angel’s portion.

Of special note in the second half of the show was when the Wizard was on stage. The technical effects were totally awesome! IF you’re an adult and have no fears born of lack of ability to differentiate between real and stage. Poor little Mary-she snuggled in closer. The second time the Wizard was on stage she hid her eyes (if I can’t see you, you CAN’T see me!).

Post show we hurried out so we could go see Teresa and tell her what a great job and how much we enjoyed the show (indirectly letting her know we’re glad she participated as it gave us an excuse to go see her).
Teresa wasn’t the only member of the cast there to greet the crowds. The Wicked Witch of the West was there-and Valerie was scared of her. Mary was terrified of her. Dorothy was there with her ruby slippers-the girls were okay with meeting her. Then came the Wizard! Mary would have NOTHING to do with him. She wanted to run away and hide! She knew what to be fearful of! Loud. Gruff. Angry.

Comments

Janele Williams said…
The girls loved the show, loved being with grandma, and loved reading this and seeing the pictures so they could relive it.

Thank you.
September 13, 2009 at 12:54 PM
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