Not Too Grown Up

To my son Tommy,

The other night you declared that you are no longer afraid of the dark when you go to bed.  Despite that this new turn of events was brought about by a pillow pet dream light, it is still a very grown up thing to claim.

You have been able to drink out of a grown up cup by yourself for a couple years now.  Despite this, we still normally give you some type of protected cup though I don't quite think of it as a sippy cup.  Today, you looked at me and asked to unscrew the lid so you can drink it normal.  Again growing up so fast.

There is at least one area of your life that you are still ready to enjoy as a child.  No matter how grown up you think you are, the pictures show you are willing to wait patiently for your chance to visit with Santa!  The Christmas spirit is alive and well in your soon to be five year old self.  The pictures also show your ever present style and flair with that hat and sweater vest, which seems to have served you well since you are holding hands with one of your classmates in the first picture.  I don't even want to consider where that falls on the growing-up/innocence scale.

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo

Morning Schedule

To my son Tommy,

Lately, before school, we have taken to watching the Disney Jr.  We watch Octonauts as we snuggle in the morning.  Then there is a short called Bunny Town which signals time to make breakfast.  You eat (followed by a Flintstone vitamin) during the first half of Henry Hugglemonster, which has two stories during the half hour show, while daddy jumps in the shower.  We get you dressed during the second part of the Hugglemonster and we make sure you got your lunch and book bag and folder.  During ChooChoo Soul we do a silly dance and dance ourselves in for a good teeth brushing and any hair adjustments.  Chuggington comes on next and we use the first half of that show as a buffer if we are running late in any areas.  Often you are set and ready to go and Daddy is scrambling to get everything.  Out the door we go around 7:45 to get you off to school.

I am not too thrilled that the boob tube has become our scheduler of choice, but it is what it is.  This is not something new to your generation.  I put this in these letters to you for posterity because I often struggle putting names to my childhood shows that I watched as a young one.  I too watched cartoons and shows (of course for my generation) like clockwork and often knew what day of the week it was by what shows I watched.  Glimpses of these shows from my youth often come careening through my mind and then confound me for hours on end.  I mix up shows and put characters from Captain Chesapeake with Captain Kangaroo which just confuses my mind more.  When I finally get it all straightened out, I then am free to lament the lost innocence of the simpler days of my youth.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo