Scary movie selections.

This evening Eliot reached for a videotape and wanted to put it in the VCR. I looked at his choice--Halloween II--and shook my head. "Don't think so, buddy." For now he's going to have to stick with Momma's collection rather than choosing from Daddy's favorites, which include mostly zombies, aliens, and other sinister creatures.

We went with The Sound of Music instead. I've been waiting awhile to introduce him to Julie Andrews, but I thought it was time. I popped in the tape, which hadn't been rewound, and we found ourselves right in the middle of "Do-Re- Mi." And he was captivated! Score! That sequence features several of his "favorite things" (hehe) including a horse, a train, other children, and singing and dancing. What could be more fun? (Well, except maybe Disney's Cars, which he's been hooked on for awhile now. Gaa...)

I only fell in love with The Sound of Music during my video store clerking days. I quickly realized that my job there was too hectic and busy to allow for any actual movie watching, but if I put on musicals to play, I could at least get caught up in the singing from time to time. I took to showing familiar favorites from my childhood, like The Sound of Music and Annie, to make the nights go faster. As I gained in seniority there, it was my choice on the overhead TV's more often than not, and the other clerks groaned when I'd subject them to The Sound of Music over and over. "Seriously, do we have to watch that AGAIN?" they'd complain. "Yes. Yes, you do. Because I said so." Turns out, this was great training for parenthood.

So today, The Sound of Music; tomorrow, Sister Act II! :)