Grown-ups Should Be Seen and Not Heard

Ian's favorite song in the world is from his treasured "Shining Time" collection - where Alec Baldwin dresses up like a relatively wholesome train conductor on a fictional English island. Many of their songs have the feel of something out of a new age hymnal - or maybe a slightly modernized anthem from some proud germanic nation - and no song captures this stirring quality more than Ian's very favorite - something dreamy about "a land of make-believe... magical land where dreams come true."

You can feel the mystery unfolding before your eyes as new levels of harmony are added to the solemn chorus of that song. And Ian sings along faithfully, in his sweet five-year-old-boy soprano, with a faraway look in his eyes, and shares it with everyone who will listen. When we sold our car about a month ago, and the people came into the house to sign the paperwork, Ian made a point of playing The Song very loudly in the next room and telling them about it.

In any case, I recently made the mistake of trying to sing along with one of his Island of Sodor songs, but luckily Ian spoke up before my attempt completely defiled the piece:

"Daddy, stop singing this song. This is a song that I like too much."

(January 31, 2009)