The Case of the Green Lake Monster

Too much Scooby Doo.

That's what I think the problem is.

My kids are all enchanted with mysteries.

Lovely K has been reading mysteries for a while. That's the type of book that interests her the most. In an effort to broaden her literary horizons, I started her reading the Anne of Green Gables books yesterday.

Yesterday I had Big E go select a chapter book himself from our bookshelves (since I owe the library about $4,028 for keeping two DVDs an extra day) and he came down with The Hardy Boys (which is a mystery, in case you didn't know). At first I didn't think he'd be able to read it, but then I looked at it and thought he might as well try. I never seem to find books that I think are perfect for him. (Any suggestions, mothers of boys? Like...what did Things 1 and 2 read at age 7? Or your boys, Laura? Or you there in the red shirt---do you have sons? 'Cause if you do, I'd like to know what they read?) I keep forgetting to advance him in my mind. He is seven now, not four. I have him boosted a grade ahead of where he would be in regular school so I often think I don't need to push him academically. But I am going to end up making a lazy brain out of him if I don't push him. So he's reading the first book in The Hardy Boys series. His reading has really taken a leap recently so we need to jump on that development while it's fresh.

And then just now I was reminding Sweet T to return the tractor piece to the farm puzzle. Nothing makes me crazier than having a wonderful puzzle with a missing piece. He said he was still playing with the tractor puzzle piece and I just reminded him to put it back in the puzzle when he got done. Heaven knows we don't need to do a search a rescue number for a puzzle piece today! But he seemed to think that was a great idea. "If I lost the tractor," he said with a hopeful gleam in his eye, "we would have a mystery!"

I'd like to share his joy at the thought of this,
but I have enough mysteries going on
without adding a missing puzzle piece to it.

Did you ever notice in Scooby Doo that it was like the same story over and over again with a different setting? There was always like some vacation resort place or a hotel and some old guy who wanted to keep people away (often because of some hidden treasure or something like that). It was always the same story. If they were such great detectives, they would have started pulling the sheet (or lake monster costume) off of the old man the first time he tried to scare them away. But then there'd be no story. And the kids never seem to mind. I'm sure I didn't mind when I was a kid either.

I think now as an adult I just notice things in kids' television because I am never watching, I'm just hearing it from the kitchen. Back in the day (old house, first child was probably about 4 years old), I reached a point with Blue's Clues where I just couldn't be around it without breathing fire. "Don't ask the dog a question of any kind in the first two minutes of the show!" I wanted to scream at Steve (who was WAY better than Joe, btw), "Because you know what it will lead to! We'll have to play Blue's Clues and sing all those songs! Don't ask the dog a question!!!!"

Preschool television programs
can really push a mother over the edge.