Real or Fake?

Lucas has been having nightmares that cause him to wake up often in the middle of the night. Since our viewing of Meet the Robinson’s he’s been obsessed with these type of questions: Is Willy Wonka real? Is Jimmy Neutron real? Is Meet the Robinson’s real?

This all centers around a poor selection of movies, videos and video games and since I am the major selector I am willing to accept the blame for his nightmares. I have decided to stop taking him to movies and we no longer will watch videos from the library. Now I’ve taken to reading him my own Tall Book of Nursery Tales, copyright 1944. It has traditional stories of Little Red Ridinghood’s grandmother being eaten by a wolf, Goldilock’s wandering uninvited in a stranger’s home and being frightened when the family appears, and even a Gingerbread Boy who hops from the oven and then is eventually eaten by a menacing wolf. Maybe these will help him understand the concept of what is real and what is fake.

My mom is on another side of the reality issue. We have Abbott and Costello type conversations that go like this.
Me: So you went on a scenic bus ride today?
Mother: I did?
Me: Yes, did you have a good time?
Mother: Am I going on a bus ride now?
Me: No, it is time for bed now.
Mother: I haven’t had dinner yet.
Me: Yes, it’s 7:30 so I’m sure you’ve had dinner.

I like to think all is well with her new residence but my opinion as well as my guilt varies from day to day just as her demeanor varies daily. Most of the time my mom is happy and enthusiastic which is great considering she has never been one to accept assistance from others. Apparently the plumber has added my mom’s bathroom to his regular schedule and I’m not sure if that has any relationship to her missing hearing aids.


I’ve heard that Charlie and family as well as the Harle’s will be at Vernonia though there are rumors that both families will be leaving Sunday. By combining the leave-early and the get-there-late people we can cut down on the number of beds we’ll need. It’s still a much better strategy that not attending at all which is apparently what the Lewis family has in mind.

I received an Earth Day article that mentions Chicago Parks so I know you will be out leading the Oz Park Earth Day clean-up on Saturday. Don't forget to wear your whistle.