"Please Don't Go. We'll Eat You Up. We Love You So."

Earlier today, Maurice Sendak passed away, at the age of 83.  Sendak was the author of the ever-popular children's book 'Where The Wild Things Are'.

As a child, I was never allowed to read the book.  I don't know why.  Many times, random things would be forbidden, for reasons unknown to me.  Maybe my mother thought that the "wild things" were demonic.  She thought that of everything else, so why not this?

I read 'Where The Wild Things Are' to my daughter a couple of years ago.  It was the first time either of us had seen the story.  It was one of the most heartwarming experiences of my lifetime.  At the age of 34, I found the book to be profoundly influential.  I am glad that I got to know Sendak's work and am able to pass it on to my children.

In this 2010 interview, Sendak reflects upon his life.  It's incredibly touching and insightful.  He lived a full life, and had very few, if any, regrets.



It's sad to see him go.  The world is a better place for knowing him.

"Please don't go.  We'll eat you up.  We love you so."

Thank you, Maurice.

One Small Leak For My Daughter, One Giant Leap For Parenthood

My daughter, Lennon, turned 17 months old today. Over the last six weeks or so, she has been showing signs that she is ready to start potty training. We went to Ikea about a month or so ago and bought a cute little pink "big girl potty" for her to use.

For the last month, she has thought it was everything from a seat to watch TV in, to a step stool. She just didn't get it...until this last week or so. For roughly the last 10 days, every time she had to go to the bathroom, or just went, she would strip naked. It was like living with a midgit nudist. Funny as all hell, but inappropriate.

When she starts taking her diaper off, that's our que to grab the pink "big girl potty" and try to get her to use it. No success. One night she farted in it. We laughed and applauded. She got so excited, she stood up and took a dump on our living room carpet. Last night, right before bed time, she was sitting on her potty and proceeded to stand up, walk over to the borrowed copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" (See post 'Where The Wild Things Are' dated 10/6/2009)....yes that one, squat and piss ON a "Wild Thing". I now have to call the library to see what the process is to purchase a urinated on children's book.

That brings us to today. I am in the kitchen. My wife is with the baby in Lennon's room. Jessi starts screaming, "Adam, bring M&Ms!!!" I yell back, "What?! We don't have any. What the hell for?"

"Come here".

I ran into Lennon's room and there stood my daughter pointing at a small puddle of orange liquid in a pink plastic bowl. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I didn't have any M&Ms to give her, but we did have quite a few hugs and high fives. Way to go big girl.

Where The Wild Things Are

Over the last three to four months, my wife and I have developed a morning and nighttime ritual. It never changes. I wake our daughter up in the morning, say our "good mornings", talk about our dreams, change her, and get her dressed for the day. This gives my wife and extra 15-20 minutes of sleep each day.

At night, I make the baby her bottle, mom changes her into her pajamas, and reads her her bedtime stories before putting her to bed. A couple of nights ago, we were able to switch roles.

I have been seeing the trailer for the 'Where The Wild Things Are' motion picture for the last two weeks, and it looks amazing. I REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE. Funny thing is, I have never read the book. I was never allowed to. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Maybe it was the "monsters". I honestly don't know.

Jehovah's Witness parents are like paranoid schizophrenic Amish. They will deny the simplest things to their children for the most ridiculous reasons. The following are a small list of things that were banned from my house:

Smurfs - magic (and the cat's name was also the name of a demon)
Rainbow Brite - magic
G.I. Joe - Armed Forces
Water Guns - looked like guns
'Star Wars' - mom thought "the Force" was a religion
He Man - no fucking clue, magic I think
'Wizard of Oz', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Snow White', 'Sword and the Stone' - all because of magic

Hell, I had a close friend that wasn't allowed to watch 'Beauty and the Beast' because her mother felt it promoted bestiality.

By the time I became an adult, I still wanted to read 'Where The Wild Things Are', but I felt weird ravaging through the children's section at the local library in order to read it. When I started seeing the previews for the movie, I became determined. Both myself, and my daughter, would get to know this book. So, I went to the library and picked up a copy.

When I read it to my daughter at bedtime, she loved it. So did I. I really do not know what my mom was so afraid of. It just proved that all of her decisions that she made were done blindly.

It was such a pleasant book. A little boy is in his wolf suit and is causing trouble at home. He's sent to his room without dinner. He travels to an imaginary place where he becomes "King of the Wild Things". He becomes homesick after smelling dinner and travels back to his room. HOW ON EARTH IS THAT HARMFUL ON AN IMPRESSIONABLE YOUTH? My daughter loved it. She kept pointing to all the pictures. After reading the book, she climbed on top of me and fell asleep on my shoulder. I love being an open minded dad.