The Tale of the Car Wash

We had several instances where our kids had complete screaming meltdowns while sitting in a car wash.  Anne was usually okay if she hid her eyes and plugged her ears, but Sambo was a total hysterical mess.  He would cry and beg to get out of his carseat; "I wanna see you!" would be his plea, meaning he wanted to be held.  I once took him all the way out of the car because he was freaking out before it was even our turn!  Waiting in line made him nutso.

So, one day, in preparation for another car wash (Why did we buy a black car?  So dirty all the time.) I created this wonderful little story:

Once, there was a family with a very dirty car.  They decided to go to the car wash.  They put their money in the slot, pushed the button, and waited for the big door to open.  When it did, they drove inside.  It was so noisy in the car wash--the water sprayed and the soap shot out.  But no one cried.  When the car was clean, they drove through the noisy fans to make the car dry.  Then, they drove to Kwik Trip for chocolate milk and donuts.

Prepare my Newberry Medal, right?  Anyway, these two kids LOVED this story!  They were totally calm during the car wash and now they ask me at least 3 times a week to "read the car wash"  I think Sambo likes that story better than any book we own.  When Anne asks me to tell a story she says, "Just read it from your mouth"

So if your kids have a situation they are not comfortable with, make up a story to go with it.  Make sure it has a happy ending (donuts!) and maybe things will go smoothly for you.  (In education we call these "social stories" and they are good teaching tools for kids with special needs.  My kids apparently have special car wash needs.)