12-20-2011, 03:06 PM
My younger brother Greg, who passed away two years ago, was very good at entertaining the grandkids and other kids in our extended family. He turned the whole backyard into a playground, including swings, slide, trampoline, treehouse, you name it. He also tricked-out his van, in which he installed two TV screens in the backs of the two front seats, with a DVD player for each. That way the kids in the back could watch movies and not fight as much over what to watch.
He and his wife would go on these long trips, usually to the Smokies, taking along three or four kids. Greg's wife would do all or most of the driving, because she didn't care much for Greg's road-rage.
On the trips, Greg would let the kids watch whatever they wanted -- limited, of course, to children's fare. Though in his mind a lot of scarey stuff fit the bill. The kids had grown up around that kind of stuff and could handle it.
But there was one movie he would not allow. It was completely off limits. Yep, the Alvin movie. He could not stand it. He could not stand those chipmunk voices. He hated that movie with a vengeance. And even though the kids might want to watch it, he put his foot down. Hard. No Alvin movie in his van.
DM, in terms of grenades, you fell on the mother of. Your sacrifice is duly noted.
He and his wife would go on these long trips, usually to the Smokies, taking along three or four kids. Greg's wife would do all or most of the driving, because she didn't care much for Greg's road-rage.
On the trips, Greg would let the kids watch whatever they wanted -- limited, of course, to children's fare. Though in his mind a lot of scarey stuff fit the bill. The kids had grown up around that kind of stuff and could handle it.
But there was one movie he would not allow. It was completely off limits. Yep, the Alvin movie. He could not stand it. He could not stand those chipmunk voices. He hated that movie with a vengeance. And even though the kids might want to watch it, he put his foot down. Hard. No Alvin movie in his van.
DM, in terms of grenades, you fell on the mother of. Your sacrifice is duly noted.