Now That Would Be A Great Jedi Power To Have

As you know, Finn's a huge fan of the Star Wars series. Well, most of it. Because he's still only three, many of the intense fight scenes, especially those involving the sinister Darth Vader, still frighten him--even though he knows EXACTLY how they will play out and that Luuuuuuuuuke will be just fine.

Whenever these intense scenes come on the screen, though, it's as if he's never seen them before and he usually requests that we either fast forward through the anxiety-producing footage or turn the film off entirely. I always oblige him; I remember watching Star Wars in the movie theater when I was seven and hiding behind the seat in front of me when things got hairy, so I know what type of delicious anxiety he's tasting.

So we fast forward through the "bad parts." A lot. And, during those times when he's decided to turn the box off entirely, I usually offer him a Teletubbies book or nursery rhyme puzzle just to cleanse his little Jedi palate with some traditional juvenilia.

Yesterday afternoon, as I took the kids for a walk through the neighborhood in the double jogger, we came upon two women walking three dogs. Although the dogs were tiny and leashed, Finney immediately tensed up, pulled his legs to his chest, and began to tremble slightly. (In the real world, Finney's also more than just a little afraid of dogs.)

And this was his distressed directive:

"Mom, fast-forward this part! Quick! Go to the other side of the street in fast-forward!"