Making Decisions

Being a mom is hard, when you know every decision effects your child somehow. How much TV? Which Vaccinations? What Extracurricular Activities?

So, let's talk about Keegan. Keegan is OBSESSED with skeletons. He sees them everywhere, not just on Halloween decorations. But logos on stores, cartoons, surfboards ... if there is a skeleton he points at it excitedly saying "Eleton, Eleton!" And yes, he is still carrying that plastic skeleton doll around with him. And he loves Bones the Skeleton from Where's My Mummy.

So the other morning I was putting DVDs away and he say a skeleton on the cover of the DVD Creepshow. "Eleton, TV?" (My smart kid.) I thought it was hilarious he wanted to watch Creepshow and see the skeleton, but I made a decision. No Creepshow for 2.5 year olds.

Fast forward to that night. Kevin was going to put a movie on to watch, Keegan is in the room. I KNEW Kevin was going to choose an action flick. No matter what it wouldn't REALLY be suitable for a toddler. But a toddler was in the room and would see bits of it, so I thought Keegan should like what's on TV too. So I peered over Kevin's shoulder and said, "How about Ghost Rider?"

You know Ghost Rider? Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) turns into a skeleton that is on fire and punishes bad guys and demons. This sounds awful scary, right? But it is a pretty goofy movie. So we show Keegan the cover and he says, "Eleton!" all happy. We put it on and once the fiery Ghost Rider makes an appearance, Keegan decides its time to stop playing, get cozy with mommy on the couch and just keep shouting "Eleton" with glee! And I keep trying to make this a learning moment, like parenting articles tell you to, as I explain:

"The Skeleton is good! He is catching bad guys!"

I know, it's a stretch. But, it was like Keegan already knew that there was nothign really scary about the movie and that the skeleton was good? So I think he has yet another favorite action figure next to the Hulk, Spiderman and He-Man - Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider.

Honestly, it is not exactly Disney or Noggin. And it's not something we watch every day. But the kid really likes it. And he's not violent and he does not act out. He is very mellow and has a weird thing for skeletons.