LJWorld.com weblogs Angell at My Table
Posted
by Marlo Angell
July 3, 2008 at 2:38 a.m.
Afraid of Fireworks
When I took my few month old son out on the 4th of July, he must have thought the world was coming to an end. His eyes glazed with wonder at the pretty lights, then quickly overcame with fear as he heard the sonic boom that followed. For the next three years, he watched the yearly display behind the safety of a living room window. Now that he's four, I sense things are going to be different. His boyish sprit for destruction and newfound reluctance to appear afraid are waging an inner war with his aversion to "loud stuff."So, trying to be The Mommy to Assuage All Fears, for his bedtime story last night, I told him about a boy who stayed inside during the fireworks and was visited by two ghosts of Independence Day past- Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The former played upon our recent trip to D.C. where we made a cool late night visit to the Jefferson Memorial and the latter I chose because the recent HBO mini series has made me somewhat of an "Adams sympathizer" (okay, so maybe it's just fun to play the voice of someone who can be grouchy as hell.)Cheeseball? Yeah, probably, but somehow it got to him. You see, the kid didn't know anything about the meaning behind these colorful explosions till now. Discovered by the Chinese thousands of years ago as a byproduct of gunpowder, fireworks are now meant to harken back to a time in our nation's history when we had to fight for our freedom. Hundreds of years later, it's hard to write those words without feeling a sense of irony. Still, there's something about the hope of this upcoming election year and my recent D.C. trip that's wearing down my cynical old self and pulling at the strings of patriotism. So, as I celebrate the holiday this weekend, I am going to look past the exploding Bin Laden heads and striped hats and try to see the "artillery" we use on our homeland as a cry to get us back to the principles our country was founded on.Oh yeah, and I'll probably get some earplugs for the kid.
and 6 others
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Comments
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femail (Linda Hanney) says…
Marlo, I have a feeling your son will have a wonderful day. Thank you for sharing this timely story.
75x55 (anonymous) says…
'Course, there might be that new-found fear of ghosts...
liggyon (David Lignell) says…
Marlo, all of my kids have been frightened by fireworks when they were younger, so I liked how creatively you handled it. Today, I'm the one who is afraid of fireworks, at least in buying them from the local tents, and then trusting that they won't malfunction. I know I could just not do it, but everyone around me (the neighbors and my wife) is gung ho, so I acquiesce. Anyway, I wish everyone a happy (and safe) 4th of July!
Pywacket (anonymous) says…
Good lord, ksa 21 3503: Marlo is not writing a technical treatise here--it's a human-interest piece and she is taking artistic license! Most of us who are not corncob challenged know what she means and that she chose her words for punch, not to pass a physics exam.Bet you're a load of fun at the movies, whispering to your companions, "Actually, someone from Kazakhstan would display less phonemic vowel length in his speech--I'm not buying this guy at all.."
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
marlo, I wish you would come and do some "dog whispering" to my pup Yuri who is also afraid of loud noises. I read recently to train him gradually with noises in the background while the television is on to attempt to mute the noise - to give him a chew toy or favorite treat when noises are going on to help divert his attention, and also as a last resort to "drug him". Maybe you can use some of those conditioning techniques with your little guy. I told Yuri about Jefferson and Adams, but he just cocked his head and looked at me while he wagged his tail.Hope you have a fun, stress free 4th! I'll be at home watching television, chewing on something, and zoned out with my druggie doggie! :)
outoftownjhwk (anonymous) says…
Marlo, great piece!I find it rather odd that the statute that KSA 21-3503 uses as a screen name refers to the crime of indecent liberties with a child.
Pywacket (anonymous) says…
MD~ Aha! I knew you were hiding something!outoftownjhwk~ that's pretty funny. And where is KSA to defend him/her/itself? Answers, dammit! We want answers! I trust Marlo's son weathered the fireworks without too much distress. My kids always loved them. Probably too much... Wonder where they got that?
angell (Marlo Angell) says…
Hope everyone had a great 4th! My son actually made it through the non-sonic boom fireworks without a flinch (now whether that was the earplugs or Thomas Jefferson, who's to say!)We went to the Chisolm Trail fest in Newton which was really low key and perfect for the little ones. The fireworks went on over 20 minutes and at one point, my son turned to me and said "When is this going to be over?"- I think he just wanted to go back to the rides!Anyone go to the fireworks at Clinton Lake? If we stayed in town that's where we would have been.
paint (anonymous) says…
miss you all.paint