By Charlotte Byus
I have been trying to write this story and observation for over two months. In October I decided I needed to get out of the house for at least a day or two. A friend suggested I put my application in at a company that had just started accepting applications. So I did and was accepted to work one day a week. As you can tell I am trying to keep that part of the story out of the story, because this is not about the company. This is about the children I have seen during this adventure.

This job is magical for children and way too fun for parents and adults that have grown up but do not want to let go of the magic. I saw over 400 T-shirts all alike and finally had to ask, “excuse me, but how many are there with this T-shirt?” The answer for over 400 friends on Facebook, wow what fun these people will have for a week. Every time I worked I saw different designs of T-shirt, of course, Mom had designed them. My favorite ones were the Dads that had on shirts that said, “I do not do theme shirts”. Of course he did as Mom designed that one too. LOL

Now to the story, my first day at work: my job was and still is directional for everyone getting home. When the family is in customs the children begin to get bored and start looking around and trying not to stay just where they have been told. A little boy about 4 to 5 is looking around to see anything that will give him an advantage of where today’s adventure will be taking them. Something outside the doors has caught his eyes and all of a sudden he has discovered his magical time is over. He looks at his Mom and then Dad and lets out the biggest wail NOooooooo! He goes on sobbing no, please Nooooo! I want to go back, please! Mom tries to console him and he is not consolable, he is heartbroken. I was in tears too.

The next week just about the same thing happens again, just about the same age little boy. But he wanted to know WHY can we not go back, Please. I had tissues in my pocket this time. Over the next few weeks this became the normal, tears, anger, and sadness in young boys. Once it was like herding cats as the little guy was going back with or without Mom and Dad. He was little and could get under and around people trying to catch him and he was having none of this going home business.

What I discovered was little girls at this age were sad but they knew they were princesses and would be forever but little boys were showing the sadness on the outside. As the Mom’s and adults family members are trying to check out and get the family home they miss this time with their sons. Even as a Grandmother most of them were too busy trying to help the family keep everyone together. But as a Mom and a Grandmother, I saw something I had never seen before. Our men grow up becoming stoic as time goes by, but as a small child they are able to show this emotion. I knew I could not touch these boys but I wanted to and let them know it was OK to show this emotion and I understood their sadness.

What they did not know is a man many years ago realized this too. So he created a place where an adult whether on land or water can still be a child and believe in the Magic.

[1-8-2018]