Cultural influences: young child's fragile eggshell mind

Amber watched her first film in a real theatre(1) this morning. She had slept straight through You, Me, and Dupree two weeks ago, but insisted on paying attention to today's showing of Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby. Maybe it was the NASCAR action, maybe it was the redneck hollering; maybe it was the unrelenting onslaught of product placements, or maybe it was simply Wil Ferrell's kind, gentle, and let's not kid ourselves, downright handsome face blown up to twenty-foot dimensions, but she was riveted to that screen.

I'm glad we're taking the time to expose her to these cultural influences early; so many people waste their children's crucial first formative months with mindless noise like Beethoven. When my darling baby girl grows up, she's going to be able to say with pride "My daddy done taken me to that there picture show when I was nothing but a squirt in a diaper -- soooo-EEEEE!".

1. A local cinema offers a bi-weekly screening of a popular film in a baby-friendly environment. They turn down the volume, leave the lights on dim, provide changing tables and diapers, and nobody minds if the babies cry or if moms are breastfeeding during the flick. It's pretty cool. If the gods are kind, maybe Beerfest will be up for viewing in a month or two...