Monsters

Owen & Gus have hit the "monster" phase the past couple of weeks. They run through the house claiming to be chased by a monster or a shark with sharp teeth. They refuse to go near rooms where the lights are off. Our incredibly mellow dog Tucker has morphed into a T-Rex that tries to eat them when they are outside. Amy & I are a bit perplexed on how this all started. We did notice that a couple of the TV shows they watch had episodes that talked about nightmares, ghosts, etc. But the shows are cartoons for preschoolers on Noggin or PBS ("Little Bear" and "George Shrinks") and are pretty tame. So much for the Homer Simpson method of letting TV raise our kids.

My challenge as a sarcastic father is to try to nix the notion of monsters instead of embellishing it in exchange for a laugh -- even if it is one that only I find funny. So when Owen says to me, "Dad, you're a monster!" and runs screaming to the next room, I have to bite my tongue and reassure him that I am merely a benevolent mortal and not in fact a slobbering monster who has come to eat the resident toddlers in the house.

Still, the devil in me is reminded of the classic Far Side cartoon from Gary Larson. Resist the temptation, Derek, resist the temptation.


Cheers!