Even though I am in a mixed marriage, I have always dreamed of raising my kids as geeks. Despite picking me as her partner in life, WonderWife™ can be fairly anti-geek. (Which is why I don’t take her with me to ComicCon, for fear that she would walk in and start pointing fingers, shouting, “Geeks! Geeks!” You wouldn’t think it, but a group of nerds in Stormtrooper gear can be dangerous.) I always thought that I would have to break through this prejudice in order to raise my offspring in the ways of my people. So I was really happy when the Bean was born, somebody bought him a Looney Tunes mobile for his crib. It was perfect. It started an interest in cartoons without me having been the one to suggest it or buy it.
It’s still a bit too early for the Bean to fully be exposed to Looney Tunes, with the characters shooting each other in face and dropping anvils on heads and all, but I know that Bugs and the gang were present during his early formative years, watching over him as he slept.
The mobile now resides over Sprout’s crib. I’ve recently learned that Sprout needs to kiss every character goodnight before she goes to sleep. I don’t get to put her to bed most nights, as she’s asleep before I get home from work, but last weekend I had the honor. Sure enough she reached for Bugs, Daffy, Sylvester, Tweety and Taz and wouldn’t settle until I brought each one to her mouth so she could give them a kiss.
It was both very sweet and incredibly satisfying.
18 comments:
I'm sure she'll do that for as long as it hangs above her bed (and even after). There's nothing wrong with bugs bunny. I grew up with him and I'm not (too) screwed up.
That's a sweet moment you're talking about. When I'm not gleefully tossing my kids in bed I can sometimes take a moment to relish it.
That's a very sweet routine, and gives a very cute image.
However, you are an idiot, because now that you have exposed your plan, tonight when you come home your wife will have replaced that mobile with one of those organic wooden hemp PVC/BPA free ones that are painted with dyes made from distilled kitten tears.
I never really realized Looney Tunes were like a gateway to full-on geekdom.
Ok, first ... Awwww. That was a sweet picture you painted there. :)
2) SFD's comment made me *chuckle-snort*
3) That post over at Hot Dad's about your mixed marriage was brilliant.
4) There is no 4.
5) As geek married to a geek, I can tell you that one of the most fun things about parenting for us is introducing our kids to our favorite geeky thinks and watching them "get it" for themselves. Awesome. :)
Andrea...I'm not saying anyone will be screwed up by watching cartoons. Believe me, it would be very hypocritcial of me to say that. But right now the cartoons reinforce messages that hitting is okay. He's probably got another year or so before we watch.
SciFi...Would you believe that my wife was the one who put up the mobile in the first place? She's also the one who told me about the kissing.
Escalator...It goes like this: Looney Tunes were on Saturday mornings. After would be Dungeon & Dragons, which would lead to Thundercats, He Man, GI Joe and Transformers. Before you know it...geekiness ensues.
ZenMom...Thanks.
SciFi Dad's comments usually always make me chuckle and snort.
It's almost inevitable in this day and age, that kids will be geeky, to a degree. My two year old and three year old both have 'computers', ie leapfrogs or equivalent that help them with spelling, shapes, etc.
FYI - every single post I've been to today was commented on first by Blogging Mama Andrea, and then I realized, 'Oh yeah, she's on the other side of the planet, that's why.'
Agreed that most kids will be "geeks" to some degree, as "geek" no longer means what it used to. In the past, geeks were not cool. Now, anyone who is not a geek is not cool. (Observation exaggerated to some degree for effect).
Even people like Paris Hilton would probably call themselves a geek these days. It takes some of the edge off your personality, makes you seem accessible, even when it's all an act. While I think it was once totally legit to take pride in a person's geekdom as an example of how it makes that person different, today, the geek rules. The exact moment the change came was somewhere between when Zach Braff debuted on Scrubs, when Adam Brody debuted on The OC, and when the Mac/PC ads made Justin Long a star.
By the way, DGB, the previous comment was not in the least intended to undermine your blogging persona. Just a recognition of the fact that geek is chic, which is not to say that you were intentionally trying to be chic when selecting your handle. Since I know you personally, I can verify that everything about you is authentic!
The exact moment the change came was somewhere between when Zach Braff debuted on Scrubs, when Adam Brody debuted on The OC, and when the Mac/PC ads made Justin Long a star.Freakin' brilliant.
Yes, geekiness has become mainstream. Blame it on the wild success of Bill Gates. I'm proud to be one of them.
Um, "somebody" didn't buy us that mobile. I registered for it. That's right. I. Put. It. On. Our. Registry. Because you love to see Looney Toons at the Bowl. Because you can't go a week without making a reference to Pismo Beach or other such nonsense. Because I love you.
Babydoll, you've just turned my world upside down. Nothing will ever be the same. Black is white. Cats chase dogs. I love cilantro.
All this time I thought it was this great gift. But now that I know this...let the full geekening of our kids begin!!
Okay... that's cute NOT Geeky! And I'm a terrible parent because I'd rather them watch looney tunes and Tom and Jerry instead of some of the crap that's out there.
But the apples never DO fall far from the tree... which means my kids are destined to be UBER cool!!! :)
Shelle...Geek is the new black.
I'm not really sure where I fall on the geek scale. I think I'm somewhere in the middle, which is really the worst place to be. I'm not cool enough to be standard cool, and I'm not a total geek enough to be geeky cool. I hope your kids aren't destined to languish in the middle like me because of the mixed marriage thing.
That is a sweet moment! I'm sure my husband will start "geekening" our boys soon too. I'm more the finger-pointing, geek-name-calling type.
May you and your minis enjoy many a geek out together!
While I too look forward to introducing Looney Tunes, we already have The Muppet Show on DVD and ready to go :p
Our Geekling has been immersed in geekdom from the beginning. I was working in a comic book store when she was in the womb - while I could still fit behind the counter anyway. She also attended a Dark Knight screening with me (though she fell asleep) and loves my Bat symbol shirt.
Our main split is probably Star Wars (TWN) vs Star Trek (me). We could meet in the middle at Doctor Who though...
You know your wife will replace that...
You are a total geek ;) Come sit by our firepit!!
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