Yesterday was my day to watch the little guy while Sarah got some moving tasks (those that aren't possible with a 1 1/2 year old attached) accomplished.
Mattias showed me his favorite thing on the dator (Swedish for computer - he translates for you if need be). He likes to watch "Alfons". It's a series of short videos (no more than 10 minutes at a time) about a little guy who is much like Mattias. And even if you don't understand the language of Alfons (I believe that it is Swedish...but mine is so rusty, it could easily be anything else!), you still understand the story. Yesterday's was about trying to get little Alfons to go to bed and Alfons' desire NOT to go to bed. The tricks employed by small children appear to be universal - I want a story, I want a drink, I want to know that poppa is there...
When it was over, I looked at Sarah's listing of YouTube videos she has saved on her computer and saw that there were kiddie songs that they apparently enjoyed together. I selected the first one "The Wheels on the Bus" and that's exactly where those wheels fell off the bus...!
Once you click/view one YouTube video, it finds others that are similar that you might also enjoy. Mattias and I sampled about 30 different variations (who knew?) of "The Wheels on the Bus" (there were a scary number more available) before Mattias settled on the one he liked the best.
At this point, I should share with you a story I heard years ago about the Disney Company and its then chairman, Michael Eisner. This was about the time that VHS was becoming the dominant player in video recording/playback and movie studios were just beginning to release their movies on VHS for sale to video rental companies. Disney execs were discussing whether there was any potential in marketing to the home consumer. Most argued "Who would want to watch the same thing over and over again?" and (as I imagine it) it was right about then that Eisner got that glint in his eye..."yes, who indeed would want to watch something over and over and over again?" he thought, anticipating the profits of this venture. Any parent of a pre-schooler knows the answer to that question!
The times...they are NOT a-changing! Mattias and I watched "Wheels" many, many, MANY times yesterday. If we were able to distract him briefly (going for lunch, getting dressed, etc) he was quick to say "Chair" and "Bus" which meant he wanted to sit in the big computer chair and was "Wheels" again...and again. He started getting good at the motions - the wheels go "round", the horn "beeps", the wipers "swish" and the baby says "Waa!"
Finally it was time for dinner and I set up the song (one more time) for Mattias to watch and sing while I went to help Sarah set the table. We could hear the song finish and we anticipated the appearance of Mattias asking one of us to "walk" to the computer for "chair" and "bus" time. Instead, we were surprised to hear the song begin again. He had figured out how to get it to "replay"!
I'm going to try to get a video of him singing along today, but in case you know someone who'd like to join in here's the link to Mattias' favorite "Wheels on the Bus!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnupL42gmF4 (currently with nearly 400,000 views - most of them no doubt Mattias!)
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