The Green Drum Kit

About two months ago, the green drum kit appeared in the display window of Marty's Music, just off Maine Street in Brunswick.

This wasn't just some drab green, ordinary, won't look twice kind of drum kit. No sir. These were magical, sparkly, lime green, light your world on fire drums. And, when Binbin laid eyes on those drums, well, his world was forever changed.

The first day, he saw them while we were driving home from Miss Donna's daycare. "Mama, LOOK! Green drums!" Binbin's little voice just about quivered with excitement. "Yes, I see." I said, agreeably, curbing my normal motherly enthusiasm. While we have consistently sought out play drums, and bongos, and percussive music-makers, as well as opportunities to expose Binbin to all variety of drumming traditions, I was not altogether ready for, let's call it, the big time: professional drums. After all, he's only three, he's barely three feet tall, and... he's not even potty trained. Sure, he can carry a beat, but do we leap from cardboard and plastic to ash and stainless steel? Binbin, innocent of such pesky adult apprehension, followed up with the obvious question: "Mama, how can we buy the green drums? ...is that a good idea?"

How should a parent respond? I told him, I know you really like the drums, but I'm sorry, we can't buy it. True, but inadequate, and of course, he cried and cried all the way home.

The crying ended after the first week, though he made the same request and received the same response daily. Sometimes twice daily.

With Binbin's persistence, though, my answer began changing. Yes, Mama and Baba will buy that for you, but we don't have enough money just yet.


So, how do you explain to a 3-year-old the somewhat abstract, but inescapable fact of working life? He seemed to accept that you couldn't buy money in the store in order to buy the green drums. Still, he persisted.

"Mama, how can we have enough money now?"

Not yet, I replied. Maybe by the time of your birthday or Christmas, there will be enough.

"Oooohhh." says Binbin. "Christman. And I can have lotsa lotsa presents. And Santa Claus."

After two months of this careful, daily banter of desire and delay, Binbin won the battle of attrition. Honestly, it wasn't so much the persistence, though that was impressive. It really was the fact that he truly has an enormous passion for drumming.

So, on May 30, when Binbin turned precisly three and a half years old, we brought him to Marty's Music. And, a delighted little boy brought home the green drum kit of his dreams.


That seemed to satisfy for a couple of weeks. Then, the ever inquisitive and intelligent cherub asked: Mama, how can we go to the store, and buy some money?


As an addendum, Jack did some research and, as it turns out, there are some pretty impressive 3-4 year old drummers out there. (and lots of adults making youTube videos of those kids)