I don’t know why, but I was feeling nostalgic today.
It’s all too easy to forget how adorable your children were when they were small…especially when they are in the midst of a teen-life crisis and not very happy with you. But I think that is the most important time to think back to a moment that defines who they are. It will make you love them all the more, despite their flaws and idiosyncrasies.
For me, it was a moment when my daughter was no more than three.
We were watching old Bugs Bunny cartoons. Even now, I can’t let an opportunity go by where I can watch Bugs Bunny torment the likes of Yosemite Sam or Elmer Fudd, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that I would make sure my children fell in love with the old standards too. I even remember the episode on the television this particular morning. Like most Bugs Bunny cartoons, Yosemite Sam is blown to smithereens, and stands charred and battered to admit defeat to a smiling Bugs. This particular cartoon has Sam blown up on a pirate ship several times before the end.
My little girl enjoyed the episode greatly, and even stopped watching at the end to comment to me.
“Boy, I’ll bet he used a stuntman for THAT part!” She said with a giggle.
I had to laugh. I was very careful when the kids were small, making sure they understood that “movie magic” wasn’t real life, and that actors had stuntmen to do all of the dangerous stunts, and no one really got hurt. It was all make believe. But, it was funny that she missed the fact that this was an animated feature. No actors were harmed in the making of this cartoon.
So I attempted to explain this to her. “Sweetie…Sam didn’t need a stuntman. He’s a cartoon…they can’t get hurt.”
She just looked at me for a second before replying. “Oh, I know that Mommy…but did you see that explosion? He might not have needed a stuntman, but I’ll bet he got one anyway!”
The innocence of youth.
I wish I could still watch a cartoon with the belief that they were flesh and blood creatures (even actors as my daughter clearly understood.) I miss the magic of childhood…both my own and that of my children. But I suppose as long as I have the wonderful memories, the magic will live on.
As will Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam…with or without a stuntman!
Until the next time…I will be digging out my old Bugs Bunny DVDs for a little dose of nostalgia!