Eli Wants to Shovel

Eli popped out of bed the moment his eyelids flipped opened. The light on his Ok To Wake! clock was green, and that meant he was allowed to get out of bed. He tiptoed over to the window and peeked through the blinds.

Eli couldn’t believe what he saw. The backyard was covered in a thick blanket of white. Fat flakes were falling from the sky. He started to jump up and down.

“Mommy! Mommy! Come, quick! You’ve got to see this!” he cried, still jumping.

Eli’s mommy opened the door and stifled a yawn as she stepped into his room.

“What is it?” she asked.

Eli ran to her and grabbed her arm. He lead her to the window, where he began to jump again.

“It’s snowing!” he cried, parting the blinds with his hand.

“Oh, honey, don’t touch the blinds,” Mom warned.

She pulled the cord to open them and Eli jumped even faster.

“It is snowing!” Mom agreed.

“I want to go outside and shovel! I want to put on my snow pants and my jacket and my boots and my hat and my mittens and shovel!” he exclaimed.

Eli couldn’t wait to use the neon yellow shovel his grandpa has given him last winter. He was going to scoop up all the snow on the grass to make a giant pile. Then he wanted to climb on the snow mountain.

He was certain that his muscles were even stronger now than they’d been last time there was snow. He couldn’t wait to see how much more he could carry in his shovel.

“Sorry Bud, Daddy is already plowing the driveway, and you have to get ready for preschool,” Mom told him.

“No! I don’t want to go to school! I want to go out and shovel!” Eli growled.

“Later,” Mom promised.

“Not later. Now!” he grunted.

“I know you’re excited for the snow, and it’s hard to wait, but we can’t shovel this morning. Maybe you’ll get to play outside at school,” his mom said.

“It’s not fair,” Eli spat.

“You’re disappointed. I understand. I’ll take you outside this afternoon, but right now it’s time to get dressed,” Mom instructed.

Eli gazed longingly out the window. He wanted to go outside and shovel more than anything, but he knew it was no use arguing. Tears rolled down his face as he changed from pajamas to school clothes. Mom grabbed a tissue and wiped Eli’s eyes, and then his nose.

“The snow will still be here later,” she assured him, pulling him into a hug.

Eli took one final look at the winter wonderland outside his window, then followed his mom to the kitchen. He sat down at the table, where a bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal was waiting for him.

“If I eat really fast, can I go out and help Dad?” Eli wondered.

“No, not this time. Dad’s almost done,” Mom said.

Eli scowled. From the kitchen window, he saw a squirrel skittering across an electrical wire. Tiny clumps of snow came cascading down with each step the squirrel took. Eli stirred his oatmeal. It was steaming and gluey, just the way he liked it.

“How’s your oatmeal?  Have you tasted it yet?” Mom asked.

Eli took a small bite.

“It’s fine, but it would taste even better if I could go out and shovel,” he answered.

Mom patted Eli’s back.

“Later, I promise,” she reminded him.

Eli scowled again, but finished his oatmeal, drank his milk, and ate his vitamin. Then he brushed his teeth and went potty. He packed up his backpack and was ready to go before Mom even asked him to.

“Great, you’re ready! Let’s get in the van,” Mom said.

Eli tromped out the door and down the driveway. He tossed his backpack in the van, then sprinted to the yard. He just couldn’t stop himself from playing. He sprawled out on his back in the snow and waved his arms up and down while moving his legs from side to side, repeatedly, to make a snow angel.

“Eli! What are you doing?! In the van, NOW!” Mom scolded.

Eli, not hearing his mom, stood up and admired his work. Then he sprawled out again on his back and waved his arms up and down, while he moved his legs from side to side. Before he had a chance to admire his second snow angel, his mom marched over and grabbed him by the armpits.

“Eli, what are you thinking? Get in the van NOW,” she shouted.

“But I’m covered in snow,” Eli pointed out.

He did his best to brush himself off, but his sweatpants were damp where snow had been stuck to them.

“You should have thought of that before you laid in the snow without gear on,” his mom snapped.

“I need to go change,” Eli whispered.

“We don’t have time. You can change when we get to preschool,” Mom said.

Eli climbed into his car seat and buckled himself in. He cringed when the cold, damp sweatpant fabric clung to his calves.

“This feels yucky. It’s not comfortable,” he whined.

“It’s okay to be a little uncomfortable for a short time. You can change when you get to school,” Mom repeated.

The parking lot hadn’t been fully plowed yet, and this made it challenging to find a space. Mom was stressed and grumpy as she hurried Eli inside.

He stopped to brush the snow off of a bench at the entrance to the building. Mom gave him a look that told him he better get moving. Eli was feeling frustrated when he walked through the door of his classroom.

“No need to leave snow gear today, we won’t be going outside,” his teacher told Mom.

Mom picked up the bag of gear, leaned down to kiss Eli, and left.

Anger began to swell inside of Eli. Grown ups were so unfair. It was the first snow of the season, and all he wanted to do was be out there in it. Preschool wasn’t a place he enjoyed, even in the best of circumstances. Knowing that he wouldn’t get to go outside for even a short time while he was here gave him no reason to try.

Eli stomped over to where two classmates were building a tower with blocks. He watched them for a few moments, then stuck his hand out and knocked down the tower. When he heard the shrieks and tears that he knew would follow, Eli stomped over to a table, where another student was working on a puzzle.

Eli watched for a moment. When he was sure that the other child was looking, he pushed all of the puzzle pieces onto the floor. He picked up a bin of crayons and dumped that out before crawling under the table and scrunching up in a ball.

Eli stayed under the table for the rest of the morning. He watched as his teacher calmed the chaos he’d created. He refused to come out for anything. Threats or bribes didn’t sway him.

He really hated this place. The toys were boring. He was interrupted every 20-30 minutes to change activities, and he didn’t have any choice about anything. Eli was a boy who needed to move in BIG ways, and preschool was not set up to meet those needs. He was still under the table when his mom came to pick him up.

Eli expected Mom to be furious with him when she heard about what had happened. He thought she would yell, or punish him. He was surprised when she took him in her arms and gathered him into a tight hug.

They didn’t talk until they got home. Eli carried his backpack inside and put it away without being asked. He hung up his coat, and put his hat and mittens where they belonged.

“Eli, it wasn’t okay what you did today. That kind of behavior isn’t acceptable anywhere. But I want you to know that I know that you aren’t happy at that preschool. I’m not happy with you being there, either. Your needs aren’t being met, and we aren’t being heard. You won’t have to go back, ever again,” Mom began.

“I don’t have to go to school anymore?” Eli gasped.

“You don’t have to go to that school anymore. I found a nature school that meets entirely outdoors. The children get to play, the whole day. We’re going to visit tomorrow, and you get to start full time next week,” Mom explained.

Eli liked the idea of a school where he could play outside, all day. 

“Okay, Mom. Can I go out and shovel now?” he wanted to know.

“Get your gear on, and you can go shovel,” Mom said.

“Can I eat my lunch, first?” he asked.

He had refused to come out from under the table to eat at school, but now his stomach was growling.

“Of course. You can even take it outside with you, if you want,” Mom told him.

Eli threw on his snow gear, grabbed his lunchbox, and headed out into the backyard. He scarfed down a PB  and J and some orange slices before pulling his shovel out of the shed. He spent the rest of the afternoon making giant piles of snow all around the yard. He didn’t go back inside until the sun was setting.