Before I had kids, I always thought kids’ shows were a little weird when they talked to you. You know, the character is washing a window and asks you to help. Um, I’m sitting way over here. There’s no way I can help you with your dirty window! But now that the girls are getting old enough to interact a little bit with their favorite characters (Curious George, Whyatt on Super Readers, Mee Mee!), I’m starting to get it. (And I know. Kids aren’t supposed to watch television till they’re at least two. Well, kids are also supposed to sleep in carseats, sit happily in their strollers and not climb on kitchen counters before they’re potty trained. You keep these twins entertained all the time!)
Super Readers is currently a huge hit in our house. It’s helping feed the girls’ current obsession, the alphabet, and teaches nice little morality lessons at the same time. That, my friends, is what we call a win/win situation! Well, there’s one point in the intro where Whyatt and friends introduce themselves, then ask you to say your name. For a while there both girls liked to yell out, “Mama!” because I made the mistake of answering one day, trying to show them how it works. But one day last week Marlowe got a little overexcited trying to introduce everyone in the room to her good buddy Whyatt, answering with, “Me, sister, Dada, and Dada cup!” It made us giggle that J’s sports bottle filled with iced tea was important enough to make the list of introductions.
Then there’s our fun little game that we’re playing these days. I ask the girls, “How much does Mama love you?” And they answer with, “All the way!” Well, it sounds a little more like “Awwwway!” But the intent is there.
And then there was Monday night. I was putting the girls to bed, and asked them if they wanted to read a book. Most nights they do, some nights they don’t. But Monday, Marlowe ran and grabbed a book from the bookcase and came and climbed up in my lap.
I opened the book and started to read the first few words when Marlowe turned and put her hand on my chest. “No, Mommy!”
Oh. I thought we were going to read the book.
“Me!”
Huh?
Marlowe proceeded to open the book to the first page and studied it really hard.
The she piped up, “George monkey!”
Um, yes. That is the gist of this page. How old are you?
Then the next page.
“Hop hops!”
Yes, yes those are bunnies. Then that little scamp of a monkey takes a baby bunny out and the bunny takes off like a shot.
“Shot!”
And as a result, George is left feeling a little sad.
“George sad.”
But he realizes the Mother Bunny can help!
“Mama Bunny!”
And then there’s a page with some rocks in the picture.
“Rocks!”
And so on, and so on. Marlowe Bean, you crazy smart, sweet, beautiful girl, you read Mommy a book. You don’t know what the words on the page mean yet, but you knew what happened on each page and did a wonderful job of telling me the story, all the way through to the end.
Proud?
“All the way.”
