Why I Like Kids
Here in Reno, my dad and I have been over at his girlfriend’s house quite a bit. His girlfriend is very, very close to her family and so they’re all usually around as well, including her two-year-old niece, Jasmin, and her three-year-old grandson, Noah.
I like kids and it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to interact with any.
Jasmin was very easy to endear myself to. Basically, all it took was me high fiving her and playing peek-a-boo. Noah was a little more difficult. He was very shy around me. After giving him ample opportunity to make friends with me, by asking about the Toy Story characters on his shirt, making chit-chat about the new Toy Story movie to come, etc., I decided enough was enough. So I scooped him up into my arms and declared, “I have the Strongest Hug in the World! I defy you to break out of it!” At which point I pretended he did exactly that and I sighed, saying, “I hadn’t realized I was dealing with the Strongest Boy in the World.” To which he replied, “Capture me again!” We were instantly best friends.
We spent the next hour playing, him choosing various super heroes by proclaiming, “Now I’m Batman!” and assigning me their villain by saying, “Do you want to be Sandman or Catwoman?” When he was playing the Hulk, he said, “You’re the doctor and you have to hold me down.” And I, being slightly skeptical that I was getting the scene right - not understanding whether I was a good or bad guy, would say, “Fight it! You have to fight your anger! Don’t let it get the best of you!” Then he’d say, “Now, you’re the Hulk and I’m the doctor.” And he pretended to hold my arm down and repeated what I’d said exactly. He even let his Aunt Jasmin be the super hero and kill him a few times.
Kids: simple, fun, fans of comic book characters.
