Fancy Girls and Fast Cars

Bo did not have a great day at daycare on Wednesday -- several incidences of hitting and pushing friends. Nothing serious, but enough to warrant a punishment when we got home. The most effective punishment is to take away his "Batman" cartoon time. He normally watches an episode while we're cooking dinner. 

Anyway, on this particular night, we were waiting on Shawn and Mazy to get home and I was tired from this cold I have and so I decided I would watch TV and find something so terrible that Bo would be forced to go do a puzzle or play with his cars. 

So I chose the worst show I could find. Something I knew he would hate and not watch more than a few seconds of: "Toddlers and Tiaras." 

Ever seen the show? It really is horrible. I mean, seriously, seriously bad. But whenever I see that it's on, I can't help tuning in to watch those crazy stage mothers and pity the poor girls who are primped, makeupped, hairsprayed, glitzed, glammed and bedazzled to the extreme.... It's a fascinating look at a very strange side of America.

So I turned it on and expected Bo to lose interest in 4 seconds. Well, here's what happened:

Bo: I don't want to watch Mama's TV. I want Batman!

Me: Nope. You hit friends today so no Batman. Go build a castle or look at some books.

Bo looks at TV. And stares very intently at the bedazzled toddlers.

Bo: Look at all those fancy girls!

Me: Yeah, they're a little too fancy if you ask me.

Bo: Look at them, Mama! They're all fancy girls!!

I begin to see that Bo's interest is genuine and he gets up on the couch for a better viewing position...

Me: Don't you think they look a little weird with all that big hair and makeup on?

Bo: I like the purple and pink fancy girls! 

Me: Oh boy.....

I've come to the conclusion that Bo may be the son who delights in fast cars, fast motorcycles, and yes, fast women.... I kept hearing that old Hank Williams Jr. song in my head: "I like my women just a little on the trashy side." 

Of course, my other son was not immune from this either. Mazy saw a picture of Dolly Parton on the back of a children's book and couldn't stop looking at her.... Which frankly, is not surprising. But he was so enamored with Dolly that he told me I should get "red lips" like hers. 

Watching your sons discover "sexuality" is both humorous and disarming. They're too young to understand anything, yet something in their minds is very interested in highly styled, glammed out women. Or, maybe it's just the sparkly clothes and bright colors that attract them. Who knows. I never make a big deal out of it because they are children and they should be curious about things like this. I mean, sheesh, there's nothing ordinary about 3-year-old girls who look like mini princesses and there's definitely nothing common about Dolly Parton. It's a natural curiosity. 

But I can assure you of this much: my boys will be raised to be respectful of all women and to appreciate the female mind/personality more than what's on the outside. And if they can find a smart, well-spoken and interesting trashy-looking woman, then go ahead and bring her home to meet Mama!