A Clue! A Clue!

In the land of children's make-believe TV, there are few cartoons that are as successful as Blues Clues. This show especially resonates with Megan b/c, coincidentally, it happens to be on while we are getting ready in the morning.

Look I know some of you out there are making your own baby food, making fantastic birthday cakes, or teaching your kids about polygons and are UTTERLY APPALLED at our parenting logic of having her zone out on cartoons. But hey, parenthood is about survival sometimes.

Well last week reality and fantasy collided. No, Jillian did not get to meet her favorite football player, Tom Brady, although that IS a fantasy. Instead "Blues Clues Live" came to the Civic Theatre here in Grand Rapids. And what kind of dad would I be if I didn't get tickets.

Actually, to be honest, I had clipped the idea out of the paper and, absentmindedly, left it on the coffee table where Megan's wandering eye caught sight of it.

"Blues Clues Daddy! Blues Clues Daddy!" And that's when we got 3 tickets for Blues Clues figuring this would be a great way to introduce her to the "THE-uh-TUR" (please say in as snooty an accent as possible).

I was not prepared for the chaos of this show. The din of noise from the kids in attendance was what I can only describe as the inside of a beehive. But Megan was frozen. She just stared. At the other kids, the stage, the lights, the sheer size of the theatre. When the performance began and "Steve" skidooed from the TV onto stage and then a five-foot "Blue" came on stage Megan was in awe, and terrified slightly at the same time. I know this only because from this point on she preferred watching the show from our laps.

One thing the performance solidified for me about Megan's personality is that she definitely analyzes a situation before entering into it. While other kids were shouting and dancing from the onset, Megan didn't fully let go and point out clues on stage or take part in the dancing numbers until about 3/4 of the way through. But she does this in other contexts to; observing and watching others first before attempting it herself. At this point I'm not sure if this tentativeness is from shyness, fear, anticipation, etc. I just know it's a part of her makeup.

So after the show it was thrilling to see her, in her own way, say hi to "Steve." The following pictorial captures it all perfectly; from the clinging uncertainty to the slight hesitation, to confident completion of her task. (We'll pretend to look away from the immediate return to Jillian's arms after the encounter. Baby steps.)