The Annoying Thing (09-14-2006)

I started a blog at Blogger because I changed email addresses and forgot my password at Wordpress. Most of the stuff I've written over the years is kind of dumb, but some of it might be worth preserving. I'm copying it over here so that when I forget my login info again, I can just copy it from this one place.
My wife is a softie when it comes to the kids.  I can say that because I am not a softie when it comes to the kids.  I can say that because I can hold out just long enough to let her cave in first; that way I can cross my arms stolidly and be the non-softie one.  She never has to know how close I come to caving in, because that’s irrelavent.  What’s important is that she caves in and I do not…

This past Friday evening during our semi-regular family trip to the local Target, Naomi gave in to the tempation to indulge one of our children.  Nathaniel never asks for much (of course he speaks in syllables more than words) but he fell in love with a little singing/dancing stuffed animal called “The Annoying Thing”.  This thing “sings” the Crazy Frog song while waving his hands around wildly.  As luck would have it, the annoying things were half off (go figure!), and it was hard …for my wife .. to resist buying Nathaniel the toy.  Every time we walked by one, he smiled and reached, and as soon as the magic button was pressed and the song began, Nathaniel would dance and giggle.  I have to admit it was pretty adorable (good thing my wife is such a softie)

As far as annoying things go, though, I must say this one is a bit of an exaggeration.  I have three small children around the house, and I have seen and/or received toys much more deserving of the title than the little stuffed monster we bought for Nathaniel.   Rumor has it classical music exposure is supposed to do wonders for small children, but I find it hard to believe that the 14 different off-key beep-boop-beep renditions of Fur Elise we have as the theme song to our living room are really making my children any smarter.

As far as educational (and Sanity-preserving) toys go, The Annoying Thing actually gets my approval more than many of the Mozart ringtone-spewing toys out there.   Plus, as Naomi points out, if Nathaniel develops a clinginess to this critter, he will be less likely to be picked on than the boy with the soft pink blanket.  No one is going to mess with the kid with the crazy-eyed, blue bug wearing a black motorcycle jacket.