What Was I Thinking, Indeed?!

I know that as parents we often wish we could go back and change some things.  We wish that we could say something we didn’t say, or take back something that we did say.  This is how I am feeling tonight……….kicking myself for something I said to Aaron.

I told Aaron that I would watch War of the Worlds with him.  Not that I might watch it.  Not that I would think about watching it.  Not that I would see if I could watch it someday.  I told him flat out that I would watch War of the Worlds with him.

What.   Was.   I.   Thinking.

Aaron is literal.  Aaron doesn’t forget literal comments.  My comment was literal.

He and I were watching Wheel of Fortune.  Well, I was watching Wheel of Fortune.  Aaron was busy shelling peanuts, happily dropping the shells into his bowl (of course), chewing the peanuts thoroughly, and trying to slyly brush any stray shell pieces off into the floor and then further brushing them under his chair.  Shell, drop, chew, brush…….shell, drop, chew, brush.  Over and over. 

When he wasn’t chewing….or often when he WAS chewing……..he was talking about War of the Worlds.  Every aspect of the spaceship and the aliens was being discussed as I tried to watch Wheel of Fortune.  I’ve become quite attached to this game show.  Aaron is mostly attached to the snacks he eats during this game show.  Anyway, I was halfway answering his questions as I watched Vanna turn the vowels and “constanents,” as Aaron calls them. 

I told him a few days ago that I remembered (sort of) watching War of the Worlds when it came out several years ago.  I told him that I thought it was a good movie as far as alien movies go.  Aaron thinks that ALL alien movies are good, but he knows that I don’t agree.  So for me to say that I thought War of the Worlds was pretty good is like throwing gas on a fire.  Aaron is on fire!  He thinks that not only should I remember every detail of this movie, but that I should want to talk about it over and over and over again. 

As he kept his War of the Worlds monologue going during Wheel of Fortune, I heard him ask something about us watching this movie together again.  Before I knew what was happening, the words had come out of my mouth.  “Yes,” I heard myself say, “I’ll watch War of the Worlds with you.” 

When Aaron’s head shot up, I knew that I was in over my head.  I had made a definite commitment.  I had said this thing that I could not take back.  Aaron had processed my comment and filed it away before he even popped the next peanut in his mouth. 

Oh boy.

It didn’t take long for the inevitable to start happening.  “So Mom,” Aaron excitedly said, “when do you want to watch War of the Worlds?”

I don’t know, Aaron. 

“How about tomorrow night?” he asked,

Probably can’t do it tomorrow night, but I’ll let you know when I can.

“OK,” he said.   Pause.  “When do you think you can?”

Aaron, I’m not sure but I’ll let you know.

Thankfully, we were interrupted by a visit from friends…….but I eventually did have to go back into the family room, where Aaron was still busily eating those blessed peanuts. 

There was peace for a minute or two.  Then…….”You want to watch War of the Worlds, right?” 

Right.

“Do you know when?”

No, Aaron, I’m still not sure about that. 

“I was just wondering,” he said.

Soon he went downstairs to discuss something with Gary, and then when he came back upstairs and turned the corner into the family room, he interrupted my basketball game with, “Mom, you just let me know when you want to watch War of the Worlds.”

Yes, Aaron, I will.

Thump, thump, thump up the stairs he went.  Not even two minutes went by.

Thump, thump, thump down the stairs he came.

“Mom, we can watch War of the Worlds some night.”

Just this flat statement.  And I just as flatly answered that we would watch War of the Worlds……..some night. 

“You don’t know when?”

I wanted to tell him that if he didn’t hush, there was going to be a war in our world.  But I didn’t.  My mouth had already gotten me into too much trouble tonight.  I just told him yet again that I did NOT know when. 

Thump, thump, thump……..and I remembered that I needed to do a couple things in the kitchen.  The peace I was enjoying was short lived.  Did I hear………yes, I did………thump, thump, thump. 

“Hey, Mom!  Chapter six in War of the Worlds is my favorite chapter.  Is chapter six your favorite?”

Aaron, I have no idea if chapter six is my favorite.

“Well, you should watch it to see.”

Touche, Aaron, touche.  That was clever. 

And don’t you know it wasn’t long before I was sitting on the edge of Aaron’s bed, watching the big scene from chapter six that made it Aaron’s favorite chapter? 

 

When we DO watch War of the Worlds, will he let us fast forward through this scene in chapter six since I just watched it with him?  Not likely.

I also sat there and watched how the grenades blew up the alien ship and killed the alien…….like reading the ending of the book first.  Can this count for watching the whole movie?  Not likely.

As we got ready to play a quick game of Skip-Bo later, he told me that a woman did such-and-such in chapter 10, and this happened in chapter 22, and something else in chapter 19.  Good grief.  How does he remember all that?

The same way he remembers that I made one brief little comment about watching War of the Worlds and I forgot to insert the word “might”…….or “maybe”………or “perhaps”……..

Tomorrow he has a dentist appointment.  I might have 15 minutes of peace.  Maybe 15 minutes of Aaron not being able to talk about War of the Worlds. 

Perhaps.