Blast from the past

I am a very nostalgic person. Painfully so. For example, last time I traveled to Germany, I practically had a panic attack on the plane ride back to the U.S., fearing that I would never make it back to Germany again. I struggle with organization, largely due to the fact that I have a hard time parting with things that evoke memories. I have a hard time letting go of the past - I still wake up in the night now and then with a painful memory of something stupid I did or said years ago.

Everyone once in a while I get the notion to watch a t.v. show I used to be attached to. In Spokane I went through a Three's Company phase, and filled the DVR with reruns aired on Nick at Nite. It didn't take me too many episodes to realize that the show was hopelessly stupid, no matter how much I thought I liked it when I was young (I wasn't even supposed to watch it, but I did). I ended up deleting 10 or 12 episodes and canceling any future recordings. Right now my DVR is filled with The Cosby Show and Brady Bunch. I've stopped recording cartoons because almost everything the kids like is available On Demand. So when Katelyn wants to watch something and I am fed up with cartoons, I treat her to one of my recorded programs. She has fallen in love with the Brady Bunch! She asks to watch it daily. She's not as fond of Cosby, but it'll do if I insist. I can't let go of my love for these shows, but I do recognize that they're not really that entertaining. Things that were funny when the scripts were written are pretty boring these days, especially the stuff meant to tickle the funny bone in 1970. Still, I'll keep looking for my favorite shows of yore and I'll enjoy the memories they bring. (My family watched The Cosby Show and Family Ties together every Thursday night from 1984 to 1992. My dad popped popcorn and loaded it with butter, and it was a far better bonding experience than the family home evenings my poor parents agonized over every Monday night.)

Recently I happened upon Cartoon Network's Boomerang channel. The channel's lineup includes The Jetsons, Flinstones, Smurfs, Snorks, Popeye, and Pink Panther, just to name a few. I was prompted to turn to the channel when I saw Smurfs on the t.v. guide. As I had hoped, Katelyn loved the little blue guys, but I was disappointed to see that the episodes are more about Gargamel than about Smurfette or Brainy Smurf. Actually, I have found that all of the cartoons I enjoyed as a child are really lame, even though I've always insisted that cartoons were better "when we were kids." Wrong. I think they do a better job these days of trying to stimulate kids and get them involved and active. Of course, I'm referring to the cartoons on PBS and the Disney Channel and the likes. I still cannot appreciate anime, or the junk geared toward teens and preteens that they play on Saturday mornings or on Cartoon Network. I was actually glad when Katelyn chose to watch Little Einsteins this morning. I mean, they're trying to teach classical music, and rhythm, and curious exploration. Much better use of time than watching a balding man in black chasing little blue creatures around a mushroom village. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I do realize that my children have watched more t.v. this week than they should in an entire year. That's what happens when mom tries to paint the house while the kids are awake, and one kid is really sick so we can't go to the library, etc, etc. I know, there will always be excuses.....

Happy thought: I love how little kids are so hungry for knowledge. Carter spent a full 30 minutes before his nap asking me what every item in sight was. I thought it would never end, but I loved it because he's just drinking in everything around him. And Katelyn just brought me her alphabet chart and asked to go over her letters. She just loves it, and we laughed and laughed as we went over it last night before bed. Kids are awesome!