Cartoon Bonding

"Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.” -Plato

"One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience, but needs some practice to be a good one.” -Charles Dudley Warner


I love being a Dad who has sons. If nothing else, it sometimes lets me be a boy again. Seriously though, who else is better prepared to play cars, Legos, army men, video games, and watch cartoons? I have decades of experience at this. Also, it is one of the few areas that my wife struggles with. So, it is a role I do relish.

With the enormity of choice in the cartoon world, it is not always easy to choose what to watch. This is true if you are 2, 7, or 34. We do have a staple of favorites in our household, but I'm sure they will continue to change. When Thurman was young, he gravitated toward Bob the Builder and Blue's Clues, with a little Thomas the Tank Engine thrown in. Later, he started to like Arthur, Go Diego Go, and Oswald. Nico, however, will pretty much watch what Thurman watches, though his current favorites are Curious George and Blue's Clues.

Actually, before going further, I do want to comment a bit on Curious George. Honestly, this is a really good (and funny) cartoon. William H. Macy is the "narrator/commentator" voice (at least for the first season), which adds a whole new dimension to the show. Once in awhile, he'll make a comment that will put me (or my wife) in stitches. Taken out of context, the examples probably aren't going to be as funny, but I'll post a couple anyway (perhaps I'll come back and add a few later):

• "There are some things a dog just can't explain to a monkey."
• "Sometimes, monkeys and girls think alike."
• "It was just one of those days when nobody needed a monkey's help."

Anyway, George is a favorite in our home.

The rest of the favorites all fall into the superhero sub-category. Right now the boys are enjoying a steady diet of Superman: The Animated Series. Previously, Thurman and I (and occasionally Nico) watched the Justice League (Seasons 1 & 2) and enjoyed it a lot. We also dabble in Batman: The Animated Series (which I remember watching while in college), and occaisionally The Batman. Heck, Thurman's even watched quite a few Superfriends episodes from the 70's. So, there's clearly no shortage of superhero action at our home. I might have to look into getting some of the X-Men cartoons from the mid-90's as well, as we seem to be a bit heavy on DC and light on Marvel.

(Sidebar: When I was a kid, the major cartoons I remembered watching were G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Rocky & Bullwinkle, an obscure one called Galaxy Rangers, Inspector Gadget, Danger Mouse, and probably a few others I can't remember.)

Now, an issue I think my wife has with the superhero cartoons is that they are too violent. In some ways I agree, as really the only conflict that occurs for superheros involves someone doing something bad, and the superhero forcibly stopping them. My soon-to-be-three-year-old always likes to play "beat up the bad guy" or "shoot the daddy." Our older son never really showed that much interest in blowing things up or shooting things until he was older (which I ascribe as the natural course of boyhood, while my wife does not). I think Nico would be doing these things regardless of the cartoons, he just seems to be one of those kids that is attracted to physical (if sometimes violent) play. He loves to wrestle and grapple and tackle. He always wants to be held. He's always running and crashing into things or people. The kid seems to have two speeds: Hyper-Overdrive and Asleep.

Now, it is my hope that superhero cartoons can do more good than harm. In them, they see people in conflict, yes. But they also see people standing for what is right. Trying to do their best. Taking responsibility. And ultimately, achieving their goals and being successful after working hard to achieve them. Plus, as an added bonus, it gives us a common ground to discuss things and have reference points. That, and it lets me put off my own adulthood for 22 minutes or so.

"Some parents say it is toy guns that make boys warlike. But give a boy a rubber duck and he will seize its neck like the butt of a pistol and shout "Bang!"” -George F. Will

"There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure” -Mark Twain