Just One More Show

It was 8:30pm, bedtime for the kids. After a long week of school and running, we are all tired on Friday nights. Yet, as usual, when I say it's time for "B-O-D" - a term I picked up from my brother John, who has said that to his daughters since they were 2 years old, they corrected me - "Mommy, bed is spelled B-E-D, and can't we watch just one more show?" I answered automatically, "Nope, bed, as soon as I let Gracie outside." I opened the door and stepped out onto the back porch. The air was warm, the breeze light and the clouds were moving around to reveal the stars.

"Okay!" I yelled. "One more show. Get your shoes on and come out here." They obliged gleefully, and we sat on the back porch and watched the stars. We counted airplanes as they rode through the sky, we pointed out the big dipper and Paige asked, dorkily, that it be filled with milk from the milky way so that she could have a drink. I think she might have actually snorted. After fifteen minutes of random questions, "Will Uncle Jeff be okay? If you could wish on these stars, would you wish for Uncle Jeff to get better?" When I said "Yes" to both questions, they both made wishes on the stars for their uncle. Felt good. Real positive.

By the time I was ready to tuck them in, they were so happy and so refreshed with the show that nature had provided that they didn't give me any fight as I tucked them in. We were all asleep within ten minutes.

This show certainly beat the zaniness of Tom & Jerry, the wholesomeness of Little Bear and the idiocy of The Power Rangers. And it was free.