Introducing kids to the classics

Tonight, we sat down to watch a family DVD. I wanted something different than the usual Pokemon episodes that my 4 year old pokeaddict constantly wanted to watch.  Most of our movies aren't unpacked yet, so I looked at the few that had come out of a box. My main attention had been on the few Disney's that we had unpacked - Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast and Bambi, but I offered up a couple other suggestions as well, namely The Dark Crystal and Dungeons and Dragons, the cartoon from the 1980s.  Much to my surprise the two that he first focused on were Dark Crystal and Dungeons and Dragons.  And he chose the later.

Both my husband and I are pretty happy about this. This was one of my favorite cartoons from my childhood.  And not only was it a favorite of Hubby's but he also has been gaming since he was 10. (I came into it a lot later in life, but I share the gaming passion.)  We love it when the boys find interest in the things we've long loved.

We actually got through 6 episodes before Pokeaddict wanted a change.  And his desire for change wasn't because he didn't like it - as a matter of fact, when he was talking to his grandmother earlier, he was trying to tell her all about it.  It was more that 3 hours is a little long to keep a 4 year old's attention.

I don't know why I'm even partially surprised about this.  Pokeaddict has long loved Mommy and Daddy's favorite things.  When he was much younger, he sat on Daddy's lap while he watched Ask a Ninja or Strongbad.  He giggled while watching Whose Line is it Anyway and begged us to watch Doctor Who.  He has been singing classic kids songs, like "Hokey Pokey" and "Jimmy Crack Corn".  He wants to game with us.  He's even got his own dice.  Some of his favorite stories to read are some of mine and Rick's favorites from our own childhood, like The Color Kittens.  He's his parents' child, through and through.

But that's not to say he's not his own person.  He's far more into Pokemon than either my husband or I.  And while he likes a lot of the older cartoons, he likes some of the newer ones too (like Fanboy and Chum Chum... though, to be fair, Daddy watches most of those shows with him as well...)  He's got his own opinions about the things he likes and wants.  Which is how a 4 year old should be.

And my two year old is following in his footsteps.  Just like Pokeaddict liked everything that Mommy and Daddy liked at that age, OuchOuch (named so in this blog at this time because this is the sound he likes to make, hurt or not) likes everything his big brother likes.  When Pokeaddict is watching Pokemon, OuchOuch is fascinated by it as well.  One of OuchOuch's first words was "Spongebob", because it was one of Brother's favorite shows.

I know that he'll find his own likes and dislikes as he grows too.  And I'm interested to see what those differences will be.

I'm also curious to see what other favorites of Hubby's and mine that the boys will gravitate to as they grow older.

The next one I'm going to bring out are some of the chapter books.  I picked up 4 classics (Huck Finn, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and.... darn, can't remember) and I'm anxiously awaiting when they have the attention span to listen to them.  And then... then, out will come the Narnia books...

I'm so looking forward to introducing them to the classics of my childhood!