Dad Entry #203

The kids rode Chicago's 'L' subway for the first time. We hopped on the Blue Line at Clark and Lake. It was perfect; we boarded underground and ended up on elevated tracks at our stop near North / Damen / Milwaukee in Bucktown. Megan and Sophie were excited. City girls! I think Michael was intrigued by some of the urban eccentricities and folks around us. Cole took a seat and asked, "Is anyone driving this thing?" Good question, I thought, since, at O'Hare recently, a train plowed through a barrier and up an escalator when the driver dozed. But I said to Cole, "Yes, there's a driver, somewhere, I promise."

Megan still believes in some fanciful stuff. The Easter Bunny, for one thing – although there were traces of incredulity this year – and why doubt the Christmastime guy who dresses nice and leaves presents? The flying reindeer part is an imminent tipping point, but she's onboard for now. Whatever the case, I've been wondering lately what crazy things TV is steering my kids to believe in. I'm not talking about religious fanatics, like Armageddon- or Rapture-selling evangelists. I'm not even talking about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Believe it or not, I'm fretting about channels like Discovery, Nat Geo, and Animal Planet. Seriously. They have shows about Bigfoot, Loch Ness, yetis, mermaids, ghosts, UFOs, and unicorns. I've seen ads for Ghosthunters, Finding Bigfoot, Mermaids: The Body Found, Russian Yeti: The Killer Lives, Looking For Sasquatch, you name it. Viewers must be flocking. I know Area 51 exists, I just think it hides classified technology (not Martians). And an idyllic place like Atlantis could've thrived long ago, but maybe not in a glass bubble on the seafloor? Aladdin's lamp? Sure, awesome; where can I get one? And I've thought about Bigfoot while hunting patches of forest alone. As for the mystery or mysteries: I believe the universe is very far from random. I believe in a creator, in God, and so do the vast majority of us according to surveys. From there it's no crazy leap to consider souls, spirits, and angels. But Megan believes in the Tooth Fairy, and that one is a stretch for me :) And yet, my cousin Joe saw a winged thing by his pillow when we were kids. I said, "Are you sure it wasn't a mosquito?" No, he insisted it was something magical. "Like a lightening bug?" I said. No again; he was certain. Of course, Joe – Megan's Godfather – ran a 50 mile race for fun, a few weeks ago. Who does that? Clearly he can't be trusted. When the dust settles, I think M 'n' m will be just like the rest of us, a perfect mixture of weirdness and brilliance.