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.

An author local to my area has a new children’s book coming out this month. It is called The Knot Fairy, and is written by Bobbie Hinman of Bel Air, Maryland (and illustrated by Kristi Bridgeman).  It is about a fairy with knots in her hair who visits children while they sleep and is responsible for the knots and tangles in their hair. I would assume it’s geared more towards girls (only because I’ve never had problems with knots or tangles in my son’s hair; it’s just messy in the morning). The suggested reader age is 3 to 7 years old.

The book comes with a CD that contains the narrated story and a song. You can see a quote and the cover illustration from the book on their website: Best Fairy Books

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.

Something I came up with.  Hope you enjoy it. And whether you believe or not, hopefully something to think about. 

If Santa is real,
Do you know how He would feel,
If He knew that you don’t think He exists.

Maybe

He’d still bring your gift,
Although His trip would be swift,
And I think your love would surely be missed.

Therefore

If you can’t believe,
Or it is hard to perceive,
Please don’t ruin it for those who persist.

Because

The season of joy,
for every girl and boy,
Should come no matter their place on His list.

By:  Eric Sura, aka Looney Toon Dad

Have a wonderful holiday!

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!