Looney Toon Dad’s Blog

I see more and more of myself in Jack everyday. There are little things that he does that remind me of when I was little, and even things I do now.

First, when I was younger I was always being called a “Polack” for the stupid things I did. For example, I used to open peanut butter jars by holding the lid and turning the jar. The other day, I gave Jack his toothbrush and said “brush your teeth, back and forth.” So what did he do? He held the toothbrush in his mouth and bobbed his head back and forth.

Something else Jack does is play with the satin edges on his blankies. I know, all babies do this. It’s just funny because it’s something I know I did. As a matter of fact, I still do (although I don’t call it a blankie anymore, it’s the blanket on the bed). Mommy gets a big kick out of this.

The other noticeable trait that I think Jack shares with me is my sense of humor. This is most likely because I’m with him most of the time. This is unfortunate for my wife though, because with this sense of humor comes the love of, shall we say, gastrointestinal humor. Many times at dinner, Jack will lean over, let one rip, and get a big smile on his face (I swear I didn’t teach him this). Or he will just announce in the middle of dinner “I pooped”, even if he didn’t, and laugh. If this is funny to him at 21 months, what are we (or should I say she because of course I think it’s funny) in store for.

This does not mean that he doesn’t share any traits with his mommy, because he does. But until she gets her own blog, I’m only talking about mine (just kidding honey).

‘Til next time.

Only a few days late. So 2007 is upon us. What does it bring? 

• A finished basement, hopefully. The drywall contract has been signed and a deposit put down. Now we wait to see when they can start. As long as the drywall is completed by early to mid February, knock on wood the entire basement and bathroom should be finished before Jack’s birthday in April.
• J.A.B.B. 2007 (the theme will most likely be Thomas the Tank Engine)
• Another certification for me (hopefully). My Network+ class goes until May, so I’ll probably take the exam in June.
• More blog entries. I plan to post more, hopefully daily. I’ll probably start posting other items along with Jack and family related things; I want to branch out more and post about parenting topics in the news and other things.
• Changes to the website.  When I first started this I was reading and learning all about creating websites, but I’ve gotten away from it and want to get back (I already have a couple of books from the library). I may try and design (or at least change to) a new theme for the whole site.

I’m sure there’s other things I’m forgetting, but I’ll find out when they come along.

I heard on the news this morning that Jo Barbera, of the Hanna-Barbera team, passed away Monday morning at the age of 95.  Together, he and Bill Hanna (who died in 2001) were responsible for such great cartoons like “Tom and Jerry”, “The Flinstones”, “Yogi Bear”, “The Jetsons”, “Scooby Doo”, as well as many others.  A Warner Bros. spokesman said he died of natural causes in his home with his wife by his side.

With his passing, a trifecta of great cartoon creators has come to an end.  Bill Hanna passed away in 2001, and Chuck Jones, who brought us so many wonderful Warner Bros. cartoons, died in 2002.  With all of todays computer animated and produced cartoons, I will be sure that my son knows what real cartoons are all about.  Don’t get me wrong, I like some of today’s cartoons (Spongebob), and find some to be very educational (anything on Sprout and the Disney Channel).  But I grew up with Looney Tunes and Hanna Barbera.  I remember when I first realized that cartoons weren’t really just meant for kids, but more for adults.  Were they sometimes violent? Yes, but in a slapstick way, which made them even funnier.

Cartoons were a big part of my life, and I think I turned out OK (even though some think might sense of humor is a bit strange).  Cartoons made me laugh (and still do) , and in my opinion laughter is a necessary emotion for a healthy childhood and development.  Even though many “experts” warn about the “dangers of watching too much TV”, Jack watches cartoons and will continue to watch cartoons (unless he tells me otherwise).  Yes, we limit it so he’s not constantly watching the “tube”.  At the same time, I want him to experience what I experienced, and share the laughter that I enojoyed as a kid.  So whether it’s “Spongebob Squarepants” or “Tom and Jerry”, if I think it’s funny, and Jack seems to be enjoying it, Ill point out to him “that’s funny” and encourage him to laugh.

So to the Barbera family (and all those associated with him) I’d like to pass along my condolences.

Finally, for the enjoyment that I received as a child watching your cartoons, and on behalf of my son’s future enjoyment of those cartoons, Mr. Barbera, and belatedly Mr. Jones and Mr. Hanna, I say

Thank you!

Real scary that is. I don’t know what it is. A child can be happy and all smiles one minute talking about Santa Claus, but the minute they get on his lap, the waterworks start flowing. At least that’s how it went for us today, with Jack, at the mall, to get a picture with Santa.

We arrived early to avoid a long line. It was good because we ended up third in line. It was good because we got to see Santa arrive, and Jack was very excited to see him walk by, especially when Santa waved and said “hi”. It was bad because we had to wait an extra ten minutes after Santa arrived so they could finish fixing the camera.

The entire time in line, Jack was laughing and smiling. Then it was our turn. I took his hands and started leading him up the ramp. I could feel the hesitation in his legs. I picked him up and showed him Santa. So far so good, I thought. He seemed fine until I sat him on Santa’s leg. Then I was reminded of the scene in “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie is petrified and his little brother is crying, only this time it was my son and he was crying for Daddy (Mommy was there too, she was on the other side of Santa with the stroller and I was closest to him). The tears came down, the smile scrunched into a frightened frown, and I thought maybe we made a mistake (or I made a mistake as Mommy would probably say). But then I realized that this is a part of life, sort of a rite of passage, something that most children who celebrate Christmas go through. (If you don’t believe me, check out the article in the Baltimore Sun from today. The print version had pictures of screaming and terrified children on Santa’s lap (you can see some here or click on the Santa’s Lap photo gallery link next to the article).

So to make a long story short, we got Jack’s picture taken with Santa Claus. Is it the best picture in the world? No. Is Jack crying in the picture? Yes. Will it be a precious and treasured moment captured forever? To me (and Mommy) yes, to Jack, we’ll just have to wait and see. My final though is that I have to get him used to large, costumed characters now, because in 5-8 years when we decide to drop a load of money on a trip to Disney World, I want him to have a good time. So enjoy the photo.

Sunday, we went up to Strasburg Railroad Station in Strasburg, PA for their “Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine” event. We were a little worried that he may get freaked out by a giant Thomas engine (which would have been bad since most of his Christmas presents will probably be Thomas related), but in the long run he seemed to have a good time. 

We left about 9 in the morning and got there a little after 10 AM. Our ride with Thomas wasn’t until 12:45. Since we had time to kill, the first thing we did was get our picture taken with Thomas.

While we waited for the pictures to be ready for viewing we got a bite to eat at the deli there in the station (which is where most of our money went). After lunch, we walked around a bit and ventured into the activities tent.  Jack found a Thomas train table to play with, but he wasn’t happy when it was time to leave the train there. Then we waited in line to get his picture taken with Sir Topham Hat. I had to stand with him because Jack was a little unsure of the guy. We got into line for our Thomas ride about 15 minutes early and waited. By this time, Jack was a getting little tired but perked up when he saw Thomas rolling up to the platform.

Jack didn’t want to sit still once we boarded the coach, but after we got moving he enjoyed the ride and scenery.

After the ride, which lasted about 20 minutes, we walked around a bit more and decided to look for some souvenirs. The small shop was a little too crowded for our liking (and the checkout line basically wrapped around the whole store); so after Jack had a small tantrum about leaving the toy he was holding behind, we headed over to the big tent where they were selling toys, clothing, and everything else Thomas. (I said small tantrum since it only lasted about one minute and involved no tears, just a little fussing. It was nothing compared to some of the screaming tantrums we witnessed with other parents’ kids. It probably helps that we told him we were going to go get another toy.) We ended up buying a Thomas shaped whistle (mommy’s idea), a Thomas football, a Thomas placemat, and a commemorative Day out with Thomas coal car. Not bad for $27 (especially considering lunch cost $23). Since we were getting fed up with the crowds, and Jack was very tired we called it a day about 2PM.

On our way out to the car, we stopped to watch Thomas go by one more time.

All in all it was a good day. Including the tickets for the train ride the whole day only cost about $100. (Lunch and toys, $18 picture, $38 tickets with service fee) Not bad if you ask me, since part of it was a scenic drive up and back through Lancaster County (Amish country), and a smiling child when all was said and done.

I think next year he’ll be able to appreciate it more, if he’s still obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. ‘Til next time.