Daddy's Desk - Sept, 2008 "Keep Dropping"

Little kids today seem so much more connected to the world around them. Maybe it’s the CNN Effect. When I was a kid growing up in the 1970s I had absolutely no clue what was going on outside the confines of my own home. U.S. Presidents were being impeached and resigning, war was raging in Vietnam, horrendous fashion trends were sweeping the country, Russians were busy spreading Communism, and oil embargoes were causing massive fuel shortages. But as long as I had my favorite Six Million Dollar Man action figure (with that creepy, rubber skin which folded up his arm to reveal his hidden bionics), all was right with the world. I lived such a simple childhood.
But my kids, including my worldly 4 year old son Christopher, have just spent an entire summer lamenting the rising prices of fuel and food, all the while fretting over the lack of rainfall in the Atlanta region. In fact, if I had to title the Summer of ’08, I would be inclined to call it the Summer of "Keep Dropping". Every time we pass a gas station, Christopher reads off the numbers on the signs, "three-nine-seven", "four-zero-nine". And of course, our older sons quickly correct him, "No Christopher, that’s three-ninety-seven!" My wife and I would be real impressed at his mastery of our number system were it not for the depressing reality of the numbers he’s telling us. And then he gets my older sons to join him in our new favorite chant, "Keep Dropping! Keep Dropping!". Before the hurricane season, his plea seemed to be working…"three-two-nine" was the highlight of the summer. But now, as we pass gas station after gas station with no numbers at all, Christopher doesn’t know what to make of the madness.
And then we have the issue of water, or lack thereof. Christopher will wander around our front yard and report to me that "our grass is turning brown, we need rain". When rain comes, he reverts back to our favorite chant, "Keep Dropping! Keep Dropping!" (as in, raindrops of course). In truth, no 4 year old should have to deal with these heavy burdens. His tiny shoulders can only hold so much. His only worries should be "which episode of "Super Why" is going to be on tomorrow?"
I’m not exactly sure why he is so connected to the headlines. Believe me, I am not reading him Newsweek or the Wall Street Journal for bedtime stories. We still try to keep it light…you know, fluffy stuff like Charlie Brown and his penchant for somber self-analysis…or Curious George with his mischievous, disobedient mannerisms. His two older brothers are probably his best source for information, but even that doesn’t explain his grasp of reality. At this rate, my son will probably need therapy by the time he’s 6! He’ll lay down on the couch and tell the therapist, "…it all started when my parents introduced me to the doomed ship called Titanic".
As "Government Bailout Mania" sweeps the Nation, I’m doing my best to keep this disturbing news from reaching Christopher’s ears. I’m trying to keep his 4 year old spirits exactly where every 4 year old should be. We may be running low on water and gas, but we have to remember our preschoolers possess an unlimited supply of our greatest natural resource . . . Pure happiness. Besides, if I showed him the collapsing financial sector and housing value numbers, I’d have to teach him a new chant…"Stop Dropping! Stop Dropping!"