I was working on this great post about our encounter earlier this week with a certain group of Aussie performers who wear yellow, red, blue and purple shirts (hereafter referred to as They Who Must Not Be Named), and I’m telling you, it was going to entertain you to the point of sheer delirium. Unfortunately, a couple of hours ago, the publicist who had arranged for my family to meet They Who Must Not Be Named emailed me to say that the circumstances of our encounter — and the details of the encounter itself — were to remain unpublicized.
Well, balls.
So, since I can’t tell you about what happened before the show, let me tell you a bit about the show itself … starting with this:
That there, my friends, is The Big Red Car. They drive it near …
… and they drive it far …
… and if you have kids who are fans of They Who Must Not Be Named, the mere act of reading that vehicle’s moniker likely has resulted in your brain serenading you with a rousing chorus of “Toot toot, chugga chugga” … which shall now continue to play in your head repeatedly for at least the next several days. You’re welcome!
But, hey, let me help you out; since seeing They Who Must Not Be Named perform earlier this week, I have discovered just one reliable way to temporarily stop “Big Red Car” from looping through my brain … and that is to inadvertently replace “Toot toot, chugga chugga” with a jaunty little chorus of “Fruit salad … yummy yummy … fruit salad … yummy yummy … fruit salad … yummy yummy … yummy yummy, yummy yummy fruit sal-AAAAD!” There you go. Problem solved. You’re welcome!
Of course, as some of you know, this isn’t the first time I’ve sacrificed my sanity on the alter of They Who Must Not Be Named. No, in fact, it was three-and-a-half years ago that I gave up seeing my favorite band in concert so that Wonder Woman and I could take the then-2-years-and-8-months-old Zan to see his favorite band in concert.
Speaking of which, here’s a little something that broke my heart this week: It’s been a long time since Zan was into They Who Must Not Be Named … but he was still very excited to get to meet them and attend their performance. And when I asked him, “Hey, buddy, do you want me to print you a copy of the picture so that you can take it to school and show your friends?,” he replied, “No.”
“No? How come?” I asked.
“Because they’d probably just make fun of me.”
Oh, yeah, that’s right: he’s reached the ripe old age of six now … so, of course, he has to worry about being made fun of for sharing with his classmates a really unique and special experience that he was fortunate enough to have. And that kinda makes me wanna take him to school with the picture, and show it to his class, and then punch right in the fucking face as hard as I can the first little shit who makes fun of him.
OK, that’s probably a bit drastic and over-the-top. I guess what I really want to attack is the ever-encroaching outside world, which daily is chipping away at his innocence and his sweetness and the illusion that his mother and I have for so long tried to maintain for him of the world as a happy and safe and fun place devoid of the cruel, mean-spirited, “Lord of the Flies”-like bullshit he’s already having to deal with (and, hey, wait a minute, now … are those actual tears welling up in my eyes as I think about my little boy being forced to harden his heart at age six in order to fit in? Wow … I sure as hell didn’t see this coming when I first started writing this post).
Which is why I so greatly enjoyed seeing him smiling and singing and clapping and dancing and having a great time during our adventure the other day …
… and why I’m really cherishing the fact that his sister is still mostly sheltered by the protective bubble in which we, like all parents, wish we could keep her indefinitely.
Well, shit, who knew this post was going to get so heavy? Not me. But that’s how this writing thing works sometimes; you just have to go where it takes you.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that my family and I had a really special day this week … and for that, I am truly grateful.
Oh, and They Who Must Not Be Named? Super, super nice guys who put on a really terrific show that is so perfectly geared toward young children … which, I recently learned, has largely to do with the fact that three of the founding members started the group as a school project while pursuing their degrees in early childhood education; they actually were interested in helping young children first, and stumbled into a career entertaining them second.
Zan decided he wanted to purchase one of their CDs as a souvenir, and I was more than happy to buy it for him. Yes, having those damn songs stuck in my head is a bitch … but seeing my son remain as childlike as possible for a little while longer is well worth it.
Toot toot, chugga chugga.
Fruit Salad. Yummy Yummy.
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I’ve managed to avoid They Who Must Not Be Named, but after hearing you say nice things, maybe I’ll take a look. Although my kids are 11 and 9 . . . maybe a tad too old?
I have the utmost respect for people who get into the whole early childhood thing. Like elementary school teachers. Give those people more money!
Have you looked at They Might Be Giants? Kids stuff, yes, but very adult-friendly. You won’t mind humming their stuff.
TheExpatresse´s last blog ..My Favorite Moscow Museum: Decorative, Applied, and Folk Art
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I agree that it is a tiger mommy (or daddy in your case) moment when your young child says that they don’t want to publicize something they like because of their friends’ opinions. Now, instead of a 6yo boy- it was a 4yo girl who has announced that she had to hide her Dora toys when a group of pre-school friends came over because “they think that Dora is for babies, but I like her.” Let me at those little wanna-be queens…
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I feel the same pain, but there is a silver lining. Thomas the Tank Engine toys take up a huge amount of space. Bakugan are very, very compact by comparison.
Dave´s last blog ..Someone here is gettin’ old
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Thanks, now I’m crying.
I hope my daughter is still secretly in love with Elmo when she gets to first grade.
The Football Wife´s last blog ..Parenting Advice from Grandma’s Era
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My youngest was really into the Wiggles back in the day (yeah, he’s 7.5 years old now. so old). I always thought the reason was because those doofs act just like their dad does so it was comfortable
)
As annoying as their songs can be, I think that the fact that 3 of the founding guys were pursuing early education does make a difference in what they do. They truly love kids (not just the $$ they make off said kids parents) and it shows.
I have kept a couple of the Wiggles VHS tapes (yeah, that’s how long ago it was) for nostalgia sake.
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We saw them for the first time in Sept I think it was
I thought my 3y/o was going to crawl out of her skin! They put on an incredible show!!
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I punch the first little shit who makes fun in the face for you.
Poor little man. It’s a cruel world out there. Sucks that kids realize this so young.
Karen´s last blog ..Music
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With you on the punching. We’re done with Those Who Must Not Be Named in our household (youngest just turned 9 today), but we still find ourselves singing their goofy songs occasionally.
Growing up is hard sometimes. I’m positive that’s why my almost-12-year-old has a Peter Pan complex.
Shit, I think that’s why I have a PP complex.
E. Peevie´s last blog ..Are You There, Internet? It’s Me, M. Peevie.
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But did the Pirate with the tickleing implement sing like Ozzy Osbourne? That was the highlight of the show when we took my offspring a few years back. My two were so into them, despite a 3 year age difference, I had my mom make them t-shirts that were all the different colors of Those Who Shall Not Be Named. Many parents wanted to know at which souvenier stand we got them at.
Now, I do have a t-shirt with the ORIGINAL cast of Those Who Shall Not Be Named on it, if Jayna would like it. My youngest has outgrown it.
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Awww…that’s so great that your little guy enjoyed the concert
It’s crazy how fast kids have to grow up now. My little niece just turned 10 and I have the hardest time trying to pick out an age appropriate gift for her. She’s a tween now so I never know exactly where she’s at. Well, to make a short story long, she went as Hannah Montana for Halloween this year and I talked to her about that and asked her about it. The conversation went something like this:
Me: So, you still like Hannah Montana then?
Her: Oh yeah…
Me: How about High School Musical (was cool at 9 but who knows at 10)?
Her: Yeah I still like that too – I have….(here is where she lists the awesome HSM stuff she has lol)….it’s just that…well…just not the princessy stuff anymore..
Me: Like the Disney princesses and stuff?
Her: Yeah…well…not in public anyway
Haha…so…much like your son who can’t be seen with The W***** autographed poster, my 10 year old niece can own princessy stuff just no one can know about it LOL. The innocence is still there..just not out in the open as much…which does make me a little sad knowing she’s growing up so fast. But I sure do love seeing this awesome person that she’s becoming
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When I get a song stuck in my head (happens daily), I sometimes use “Good King Wenceslas” to get rid of it.
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It’s completely irrational, but I’ve always had a wierd reaction to a group of grown up men catering towards little kids. Thanks for providing a little insight into “the Voldemort band”. I was able to b***h slap the irrational me into submission and appreciate the good things they seem to do with kids!!!
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I read you all the time. First time commenting, but I loved this post. It brought tears to my eyes. It makes me sad how quickly our kids have to move through their childhood. You are a good daddy, daddy s.
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I will forever be “that wierd girl” who wore the New Kids on The Block shirt to the 7th grade. sadness…
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