Tag: train

  • We Were Given The Gift Of Human Kindness

    Tonight we were supposed to have ridden the Polar Express. Sadly our son had other plans. You see he is autistic. He was so excited that he became overwhelmed and had an atomic size meltdown. He beat me and his dad up pretty badly. A wonderful woman helped us by holding our stuff while we tried to keep Ty from smashing his head on the bricks. The staff of the Grand Canyon Railway tried so hard to help. They even held the train. Finally, I had to say let’s go back to the room. I cried all the way back. My heart was shattered. I wanted this so badly for my son. He loves trains and he loves the Polar Express. This was a dream come true. But it didn’t happen.

    We got to our room and I went into the bathroom and silently cried. My heart ached. Then there was a knock on the door calling out “maintenance!”. My husband answered the door and slipped outside. He came in and said, ” They said they would like to do something “. I stepped out and there was one of the gentlemen that tried to help us and a police officer. They said that they felt horrible about what happened and wanted to know if they could do something special for our family. I started crying again and asked if I could hug them. The poor policeman looked terrified but I didn’t care I hugged anyway sobbing thank you over and over again. I ran into the room and tried to get our son up but he refused so my husband said he would go tell them.

    While they were gone I curled up next to my son and read him his favorite book The Polar Express. I had just finished when my husband came back in and he said that there was someone special that wanted to visit. Ty and I shook our head yes and in walks the train conductor. He sat next to Ty’s bed and chatted with him. Ty was star struck. He was so excited and happy. Then the conductor gave Ty his pocket watch!

    After the conductor left my husband told me that the hotel and railway offered to reschedule our visit special accommodations! They said that they want everyone to experience something special and magical.

    They succeeded. We may not have gotten to ride a train but we got something even more magical…..We got the gift of human kindness!

    We Were Given The Gift Of Human Kindness
    We Were Given The Gift Of Human Kindness

    Thank you to the woman that stayed with us and helped. Thank you to the entire staff at the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel. You have truly made a difference in our lives.

    Please share this so everyone knows what an amazing place this is!!

    **Update** The conductor came back and gave Ty a bell from the North Pole. He then whispered to us “Tomorrow stop by the station for a refund “. My goodness, this is a special place filled with amazing people!

    **UPDATE 11/17/19****The conductor reached out to us today and said that the Grand Canyon Railway wanted us to come back! They are giving us dinner, a hotel room, train tickets, and breakfast all on them! To top everything off The Conductor will be having dinner with us and take Ty on a tour!!! They want Ty to experience his dream of riding the Polar Express!!

    My heart is so happy. I can’t thank the Grand Canyon Railway, the Conductor, and the entire staff enough!

    We have never experienced a company that cares so much.

    Spread the word to the world Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon Railway/ Polar Express is the world’s most magical place that is filled with the most magical people!

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.swartout

     

  • We Teach Kids Not To Show Emotions

    Perhaps the reason teens isolate themselves when they’re overwhelmed instead of coming to us with their problems, is because when they’re toddlers we isolate them when they’re overwhelmed instead of helping them with their problems.

    When our kids are small and trying to manage emotions – they can’t express what they are feeling. They throw tantrums, they throw things, they have meltdowns, they scream and they whine. This is their way of communicating with us. They need help to organize, process and express their feelings in a healthy way. And society tells us we should punish them for this. Send them to their room, put them in timeout, spank them.

    We teach them and train them not to show their emotions. Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Your feelings are wrong. Be quiet. Eventually they stop expressing their emotions to us because we told them over and over again we didn’t want to hear it. For so long they needed to deal with it alone. Alone in their room, their chair, their corner.

    And then they turn into teenagers and we expect them to feel safe talking to us. We expect them to know that NOW it’s okay. They are subconsciously wired to think the opposite because this is what they grew up learning.

    Give your child permission to feel. Let them know their feelings are valid and that you care, no matter how small. Make sure they know that they are heard.

    Pretty soon meltdowns over crayons will turn into breakups, heartbreak, sex, or even depression. You want your child to know that you will always hear them, no matter how small. You are their safe space.

    Laura Muhl

  • Rude Joke Of The Day

    A mother was working in the kitchen, listening to her five-year-old son playing with his new electric train set in the living room.

    She heard the train stop and her son saying, ‘All of You b*****ds who want off, get off now, ‘cos we’re in a hurry! And all of you b*****ds who are getting on, get on now, ‘cos we’re going down the tracks’.

    The horrified mother went in and told her son, ‘We don’t use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room and stay there for

    TWO HOURS.

    When you come out, you may play with your train, but I want you to use nice language.’

    Two hours later, the son came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train. Soon the train stopped and the mother heard her son say,

    ‘All passengers who are disembarking the train, please remember to take all of your belongings with you.

    We thank you for travelling with us today and hope your trip was a pleasant one.’

    She hears the little boy continue,

    ‘For those of you just boarding, we ask you to stow all of your hand luggage under your seat. Remember, there is no smoking on the train.

    We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today.’

    As the mother began to smile, the child added……….

    ‘For those of you who are pissed off about the TWO HOUR delay, please see the fat controller in the kitchen.

    Credit Alan peacock

  • Things Which Confirm You’re British

    Things which confirm you’re British.

    • Worrying you’ve accidentally packed 3 kilos of cocaine and a dead goat as you stroll through “Nothing to declare”

    • Being unable to stand and leave without first saying “right”

    • Not hearing someone for the third time, so just laughing and hoping for the best

    • Saying “anywhere here’s fine” when the taxi’s directly outside your front door

    • Being sure to start touching your bag 15 minutes before your station, so the person in the aisle seat is fully prepared for your exit

    • Repeatedly pressing the door button on the train before it’s illuminated, to assure your fellow commuters you have the situation in hand

    • Having someone sit next to you on the train, meaning you’ll have to eat your crisps at home

    • The huge sense of relief after your perfectly valid train ticket is accepted by the inspector

    • The horror of someone you only half know saying: “Oh I’m getting that train too”

    • “Sorry, is anyone sitting here?” – Translation: Unless this is a person who looks remarkably like a bag, I suggest you move it

    • Loudly tapping your fingers at the cashpoint, to assure the queue that you’ve asked for money and the wait is out of your hands

    • Looking away so violently as someone nearby enters their PIN that you accidentally dislocate your neck

    • Waiting for permission to leave after paying for something with the exact change

    • Saying hello to a friend in the supermarket, then creeping around like a burglar to avoid seeing them again

    • Watching with quiet sorrow as you receive a different haircut to the one you requested

    • Being unable to pay for something with the exact change without saying “I think that’s right”

    • Overtaking someone on foot and having to keep up the uncomfortably fast pace until safely over the horizon

    • Being unable to turn and walk in the opposite direction without first taking out your phone and frowning at it

    • Deeming it necessary to do a little jog over zebra crossings, while throwing in an apologetic mini wave

    • Punishing people who don’t say thank you by saying “you’re welcome” as quietly as possible

    • The overwhelming sorrow of finding a cup of tea you forgot about

    • Turning down a cup of tea for no reason and instantly knowing you’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake

    • Suddenly remembering your tea and necking it like a massive, lukewarm shot

    • Realising you’ve got about fifty grand’s worth of plastic bags under your kitchen sink

    • “You’ll have to excuse the mess” – Translation: I’ve spent seven hours tidying in preparation for your visit

    • Indicating that you want the last roast potato by trying to force everyone else to take it

    • “I’m off to bed” – Translation: “I’m off to stare at my phone in another part of the house”

    • Mishearing somebody’s name on the second time of asking, meaning you must now avoid them forever

    • Leaving it too late to correct someone, meaning you must live with your new name forever

    • Running out of ways to say thanks when a succession of doors are held for you, having already deployed ‘cheers’, ‘ta’ and ‘nice one’

    • Changing from ‘kind regards’ to just ‘regards’, to indicate that you’re rapidly reaching the end of your tether

    • Staring at your phone in silent horror until the unknown number stops ringing

    • Hearing a recording of your own voice and deciding it’s perhaps best never to speak again

    • The relief when someone doesn’t answer their phone within three rings and you can hang up

    • Filming an entire fireworks display on your phone, knowing full well you’ll never, ever watch it again”

  • My Son Had To Learn To Wee Again After Hospital Blunder

    I took my son to the ER at Pouder Valley Hospital because he had a tummy ache around 3am so once I get there doctors asked basic questions then decide to get some blood & urine test, the doctor tells me ” I figure because he’s 2 yrs old he won’t pee in a Cup I will just order in a catheter” so as a parent I trust he knows what’s right for my son … I allowed a couple of nurses to come in and do the catheter, they tell me before “it’s a super fast procedure” so as I hold my son down and another nurse.. they proceeded to insert the catheter I noticed they began to struggle and then they decide to switch nurses and 2 other nurse enter .. (now my son Is Completely awake & in pain) so then I noticed the first nurse was being trained to insert her first catheter in a child 😡 & nobody informed me of this so then the 2nd nurse also couldn’t put it in so they decide to keep try & force it in this is where I should have stopped everything but they kept telling me “Almost got it ” .

    My son is fighting them then the 4th nurse comes in and finally forces it in and gets the urine and send me home with no information of how this could affect him as soon as I get home my son just starts crying in pain screaming not peeing running jumping I call the hospital I tell them the symptoms they Tell me this is normal … So after a few hours I decided he is not okay and this is NOT normal I take him to the same ER they see he’s in Excruciating Pain & do an ultrasound and see he has a lot of urine and say it’s now an emergency to take the urine out so AGAIN attempt to insert a catheter 3 other Fail attempts I’m crying and holding my son while he’s begging them to stop I ask them to give him something he should not be going thru this awake he’s in so much pain so then a nurse tries to do an IV and also fails at it!

    My Son Had To Learn To Wee Again After Hospital Blunder
    My Son Had To Learn To Wee Again After Hospital Blunder

    Then they decide to inject morphine in his thigh as she pulls out the needle she cuts his leg with it! I’m beyond pissed then say we need a professional to perform this he needs to empty his bladder and they can’t do it .

    As I arrive to the Children’s hospital they call a urologist he comes in and says because of the traumatic entry of the catheter they blocked his valves to prevent him to urinate on his own the urologist put my son down and with no problems got a catheter in so for 3 days my son could only pee with a catheter connected to a bag .. now my son is home but it took a while for him to get the hang of peeing on his own the first 2 days he could only pee in a tub with warm water.

    The hospital that did this just sent me an apology letter . For you New parents Don’t be afraid to say No and to try less traumatic procedures, try first all simple less painful options ask questions I learned the hard way as a first time parent I’m not sharing this for likes or attention but to simply save another child from this common mistake we make as parents .