Sorry, another post from Tom.
As part of my night time routine with Avie (3 yrs old), when I'm walking out of her room after tucking her in, etc., she reminds me in a very authoritative voice to "make sure the house isn't on fire." I believe it has something to do with her getting in trouble for her frequent screaming and Jen and I telling her she is only allowed to scream if the house is on fire. We've actually said more than once "Hey, Ava! Is the house on fire? Then stop screaming!" Anyway, every night I tell her that I'll make sure the house isn't on fire and that's that.
Ava also likes going to the allergist with me to watch me get a shot. She gets to work the water cooler in the waiting room and brings me about 50 separate "drinks" of water of about 1 teaspoon each. Last week during this routine I was pretending to savor each drop of every drink while "Little House on the Prairie" played on the TV up on the wall. In my youth and as an adult, I have known several families who do not watch much, if any television. I know of at least three families whose kids, however, are allowed to watch "Little House on the Prairie". I don't think I've ever actually watched an entire episode, but I figured it has to be about the safest thing ever broadcast if those strict families allow their children to watch. Anyway, after Ava began to lose interest in the water cooler, I pointed out the TV with the "show" playing.
We both started watching. On this episode there was something smoking in a room which soon turned into a fire and began to engulf the entire house. To my shock and horror, within 30 seconds, instead of seeing the woman rescue the crying baby and everyone escape, Ava and I witnessed a woman pick up the baby, try desperately to escape through several windows to no avail and finally die with the baby in the fire. During this ordeal, Ava asked several times if the baby was going to be ok. I told her "yes" knowing that things always work out on these shows. Well, "Little House" made a liar out of me. Further, I had to tell about 15 more lies about how the baby and the lady went out the "other side" of the house and ran home and that all the sad people it was showing now were sad because now they have to build a new house, but that it's really not that hard.
So, I now I have a new respect for those people who were actually scaring their kids into submission by only allowing this horror show to be played in their homes. So far I've avoided it, but I'm not looking forward to my next night-time exchange with Ava about making sure the house isn't on fire.
