Should I stay or should I go?

The Clash’s Mick Jones said it all.

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?


We are admitted Disney-holics, and sometimes I feel we’re in dire need of a 12 step program.

Months ago Rashele saw that Playhouse Disney would be on tour around the US. So being the true fan, she monitored sale dates. When she saw that Dallas/Ft Worth would be granted a show, she was up at the crack ‘o dawn to grab them the second they were available online.

Thankfully camping out in lines like we did in the old days at Ticketmaster, are a thing of the past.

Thank you Al Gore, for inventing the Internet.

As luck would have it Rashele scored 4 great seats, and we looked forward to the show. The show featured 3 of Mason’s favorite Disney shows, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Tigger & Pooh.

Now with Mason, going to any type of show, be it a live show or a movie can be an adventure. And no adventure is ever the same adventure twice. We began verbally prepping him 2 days ago that we’d be seeing the show. We showed him some video clips on YouTube, and pictures we found along the way.

As we pulled into the parking lot tonight we all got excited about seeing the show. I turned around to him and said “Mason do you want to go see Pooh?”

A defiant NO! was his answer.

This wasn’t going to be pretty.

He started flipping out, though it was a mild flip out compared to some we’ve seen. As we entered the arena he asked repeatedly to go home. But as he saw some of the Little Einstein, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Tigger & Pooh displays scattered throughout the lobby, I felt him loosen up.

However, he didn’t stay loose for long. We left the lobby and entered the seating area which was expansive and dark. The music being piped in was a little loud and overwhelmed him somewhat and he immediately asked again to go home. But we pressed on and found our seats near the front section.

As we sat, he grabbed my hands and pulled my hands up to his ears. He likes me to cover his ears with my hands as it allows him free use of his own hands to feed himself Oreo cookies.

As the show started, the lights dimmed.

Not good.

WANT TO GO HOME! WANT TO GO HOME! WANT TO GO HOME! WANT TO GO HOME! He yelled repeatedly

I partly thought I should bail with him and wait it out in the lobby, but decided to see if he’d decompress and adjust. He did. However, based on the expression on his face throughout the first half of the show it appeared that he was very uncomfortable and highly stressed.

His ears remained covered the entire first half of the show.

At intermission he miraculously recovered and was no longer asking to leave. He sat in my wife’s lap and we waited for the 2nd half of the show to begin.

He was an entirely different child. So much so I was convinced someone must’ve switched him when we weren’t looking. He no longer wanted his ears covered, he wasn’t wearing that pained expression on his face, and at times, I swear I heard him singing some of the more familiar songs.

Then the show came to an end. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pooh, Donald Duck & Friends all waved goodbye.

The curtain dropped.

The house lights came on.

Mason looked at the stage incredulous.

AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN! He shouted. When we told him that the show was over and it was time to go home, came the mother of all breakdowns.

He lost it, and threw a fit all the way out of the building, through the parking lot and in the car ride home.

Rashele, ever so patient, talked quietly to him in the back seat. And like putting a cranky alligator to sleep, she rubbed Mason’s belly to calm him down. (this only works when Rashele does it)

Sigh....