He aint heavy..he's my Little Bill?

" I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."~E.B. White 

  

  I don't know if any of you are familiar with the children's show "Little Bill".  It is a cartoon (created by Bill Cosby) about a little boy.  Oscar really likes it...a lot..although not to the point of obsession like he was with "Caillou" or "Thomas the evil Tank Engine" but he really enjoys this show. For some reason (that he won't explain) he refers to the character of Little Bill as his" brother". This in turn aggravates Sammy to no end. 

  "Mama! My brothers coming on!" "Oscar...he's not your brother!" "He is too Sammy! Little Bill is my brother." "Oscar! He can't be your brother!"  "But he is...he is my brother!" "Oscar..look it isn't logical.  How can he be your brother when he lives all the way in New York City?" "But he is..he is my brother!"  "Oscar!! That doesn't make sense.  Look you live here with us and he lives far away so he can't be your brother..Mama..tell him that Little Bill can't be his brother!" "Sam, if Oscar wants to say he's his brother-LET HIM!..It doesn't hurt anyone." "But Mama..Look..it isn't logical..he lives too far away." "Sammy..I have brothers who live far away.." "But they are grown up!  Little Bill is only five!  It doesn't make sense..a five year old doesn't live that far away..Oscar! He can't be your brother!"  "But he is Sammy..Little Bill is my brother."  And on and on it went until..well..until I got sucked further in.."Sammy" I said calmly "Of course he can't be his brother-we know that-Oscar knows that. He is just having fun...he's pretending...using his imagination..leave him alone."   "But Mama! He..." "Sammy-stop! Let...IT...Go."  "But Mama it isn't logical.."  "SAMMY..Oscar knows he can't be his brother! He is a cartoon!  Logically, I could not have given birth to him..Believe me I would know if I had..I could not have adopted him..there are no adoption agencies for cartoons..If either example were true we would have made history..so no..of course Little Bill is NOT his brother..but if he wants to say he is...LET HIM!!!!!"  "but Mama! It's not true!" SIGH..sometimes I wonder why I don't drink. "Sam..why are you letting this upset you..it is no big deal." "Because he keeps saying it..." "Sammy...Oscar says a lot of things..if you don't like it...walk away..ride your bike...go upstairs...play the computer..but for the love of all things holy..LET IT BE!"  "Fine...but he's still not his brother.."...from the playroom comes a giggle and a "yes he is Sammy...Little Bill IS my brother..heeheeheehee"

  Sometimes the two of them...well...sometimes I just can't win. They can both be so persistent.  Which can be a wonderful quality to have.  Although unfortunately at times it can work at cross purposes..like with Little Bill..or Suzy the mannequin at Old Navy.  They get entirely too caught up in reacting and... reacting...and I wind up getting sucked in.  Believe me-I'm not complaining. We have a very vibrant household...  and at moments like this, all I really have to do is look back to see how far they have come.  There was a time when neither of them spoke.  When I didn't always know what they were trying to tell me.  How frustrated we all were.  So you will never catch me complaining ...gently moaning perhaps..but never complaining. Most of the time I look at them in awe.  Usually for good reason.

  This past week Sammy,( the boy who had once stopped talking), was elected to the student council. ELECTED!!! You know that thing where people have to vote for you? Elected-my boy. I am overwhelmed with it all. We were told so many conflicting things in the early days of diagnosis..some better than others..but none very positive. I think back to that time..how afraid we were..afraid to hope..almost afraid to breathe..and now-we are breathless.  His teacher emailed me to say that Sam had given a very articulate speech-that in fact this is what swayed the vote. My boy-a speech!  In front of people!  How earth shattering is that?  I asked Sammy later what he had spoken about. He told me that he spoke about  his concern with too much talking in the classroom, the use of "bad" language and...well the tables in the cafeteria were too scattered and should be lined up neater....I guess some things never change...


  I don't think that Oscar purposefully pushes Sammy's buttons all of the time...at least at first.  Oscar says a lot of "interesting" things.  Usually, once he gets it out-it's out, done-over. But when Sammy starts getting annoyed-Oscar becomes a little bit like Roger Rabbit. He HAS to respond-HAS TO....which makes for interesting arguments at our house.  Either way-I would like to make it quite clear that although Oscar may have some of the tendencies of Roger Rabbit-Mr. Rabbit is not is biological father..nor is Little Bill his biological brother. I have never been intimate with a cartoon character.  I swear-REALLY!...It wouldn't be logical.  Just ask Sammy.