"Mermaid Mama, Mermaid"

This is what I hear everyday. And not just once a day, but three or four times a day. Dylan wants to watch The Little Mermaid over and over and over again. She loves this movie. For awhile it was Cinderella. She only wanted Cinderella. Then we moved on to Mickey's House of Villians (a nice Halloween movie in the middle of July). Now, it's "Mermaid."

It's my own fault I'm sure. I'm not sure why it's my fault, but I'm sure it is. Movies started out as a morning bonus, or an after dinner treat, but I think I've created a monster. Notice I say "I've created a monster" because it's me that's home with her and me that let's her watch the movies most often. So I'm banking on the fact that her love for movies is my fault.

Note to self: Spend more time in the basement where you don't know how to turn on the movies, and the "love" should fade.

Again notice that I'm trying to say Dylan has a love for movies instead of that dreaded "A" word -- addiction. I've learned some very important things while writing this blog and I think the one that is slapping me in the face is that my child has some serious addictions. Coke, computers and "D's" (that's Dylan's way of saying DVD). None of these inspire a lot of imagination or outdoor play, but then again, who wants to be outdoors when it's record-breaking heat for a record number of days in a row??? I suppose I'll let these addictions slide a while longer until it cools down and we can start going to the park and spending more time outdoors.

But back to "Mermaid." I love watching this movie with Dylan. She loves the music and dances in constant, counter-clockwise circles with each song. ALWAYS counter-clockwise circles. Arms are in the air swinging with the music as well. This isn't my favorite part though. My favorite part about this movie comes during the first couple of scenes when Ariel and Flounder are chased by the shark. The music is intense and there is a lot of loud, snapping shark teeth. But Dylan's reaction to it all is the best. She runs to whoever is in the room with a pout on her face and says over and over and over again, "It karry mama, it karry." This is her whining voice telling me "It's scary."

Every time we watch this movie, this happens. Every time. How many times does a child have to watch this movie to understand that, yes, the shark is chasing them, but not to worry because every time they get away???

Now just to show you what great parents we are, Todd played this portion of the movie repeatedly (with Dylan strapped in her booster seat) just so he could get Dylan's reaction on film for all of you. Notice that even though she know's it's scary, she still can't seem to take her eyes off the screen.