This one is for Anne. She liked this little story so much, she thought I should share.
So Th Capt gets TV time. A little in the mornings, a little in the afternoons (in lieu of a nap, ie mommy's sanity break.) and a show before bed if it's been a good day. He sometimes chooses not to watch and if it's a nice day we tend to go outside to play in the sandbox anyway. So. The other morning he's in watching Sprout and a while later he comes to me crying. And I mean the tears were streaming and he was just sobbing. I thought, "oh my god what happened?" So I ask, "what happened?" He tells me, "Mom, I love Barney! Boohoohoowaaah!" Wait. You love Barney. That is why you are crying like you will never see the light of day? You love Barney. I didn't say any of this out loud. Only in my head. Instead I say, "Aw, Barney's a good guy huh? He loves you too buddy." And really he is a good guy. Maybe a little weird but his show does send a good message. (yes, I've watched several. So, anyway, whenever the Capt. watches Barney he always, without fail, hugs and kisses the TV for the "I love you" song at the end. This kid really Loves Barney! So feeling bad and generous I take him to the toy store to find his very own loveable Barney for his very own. AND he sings the "I love you" song. For at least three days afterwards The Capt dragged Barney everywhere and at least twice a day told me, "thank you so much for getting me Barney, Mom." "Awww, you're welcome Bud." I say while chuckling in my head.