Just another Cooter story to share a smile with you this weekend.
We watch some cooking shows together as a family. These are usually recorded so we can zip through commercials. Yeah, our time is that precious. (And yeah, the commercials are usually that bad.)
Sometimes one of the remote controller people (read me or the Fella) will have gotten up for a minute and miss fast forwarding quite as quickly as we would like. Sometimes (movie/tv show previews) this results in someone (me) hollering, “Noo, close your eyes! Plug your ears! Nononononono!”
*sigh*
A couple of nights ago, we were watching and the beginning bits of a commercial came on that was about identity theft. Well, the prevention of it. You know, one of those services. To protect you.
As we fast forwarded, I caught some curious glances from the littles. Sure enough, our Princess couldn’t sleep. She came in after 10:30 that night and said she couldn’t sleep.
“Mama, can someone steal my identity?”
“Well, you’re not on-line, so I’m going to go with no. Nope. They can’t.”
She nodded. This seemed to comfort her, which I was glad about.
It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized it was on Cooter’s mind more than him repeating the words “identity theft” over and over and over the night before.
He came and found me still in my bed underneath my pile of covers including the huge handmade afghan I rescued from the GW Boutique. It was cold and I was reticent to get out and face it. He gave me a big hug good morning. He rooted around in some things next to his Daddy’s nightstand and brought up the Star Wars window decals his Daddy got for Christmas. We talked about putting them on Daddy’s car and mine. And then he dropped the bomb, “Daddy wants to park his Z in the garage when it gets fixed.”
He looked sideways at me, awaiting my reaction. The Z is his Daddy’s “baby.” She’s getting some long-awaited engine work done, so she’s not here right now. I caught the glint in his eye, so I decided to play it up.
“Nooooo! Once we finish cleaning out the garage, I’m parking my car in the garage! If anybody’s parking in there, I am!” I really put it on thick.
That boy laughed. Oh my heart.
“Yeah, if he parks the Z in there, I’m going to go out there and push it back out!”
Oh me.
“No buddy, that won’t be cool. I’m just teasing. But it is nice to know you’re looking after me.” I paused. “Are you going to take care of me one day when I get old?”
He was looking at his book. He shrugged.
“C’mon bud, I don’t know if I can count on the girls. Will you take care of me?”
He knew I was messing with him. He nodded, “Yeah, because they’re boring.”
Then he said, “I will but you have to come live in CooterLand with me.”
Ah yes. CooterLand.* (And that’s the correct spelling. I just asked. But he says it more like Koo-ter-len.) This is all a part of his real estate he’s hoping to accrue. He wants to build his own country. It sounds like a peaceful place, but everyone will have Nerf guns, so I’m really not sure.
“And in CooterLand, no one can steal your identity or your money, because I have a plan.”
And there it is. He was concerned.
“Yeah, you do? What is it?”
“Well, they can’t get your money because in Cooterland, you have points you can spend, and they’re all stored inside your phone.”
“Interesting. So you just use your phone to get what you need?”
“Yep. And you don’t have to worry about someone stealing your phone because it knows who you are and no one else can use it.”
Huh. Where was this going?
“See, it uses technology and it scans your eye. And it will only open up for that one person because of their eyescan.”
Wow.
I have to say, I’m impressed.
When I was his age, I was afraid of the dark. And death. And that ghost story where the line goes, “I’m on the first step…..I’m on the second step…..”
Yeah. Terrified.
And here he is, just turned eight. He heard something that gave him pause. He asked what it was, and he came up with a solution.
That right there.
I am a little excited to see where life is going to take him.
No. Wait.
I’m excited to see where he’s going to take life.
Because he’s already taking life by the tail and giving it what for.
Already.
May we all find the courage to face our fears and turn them upside down.
Love to all.
*CooterLand–name has been changed, well, obviously. But when it’s open, you will know it, because it will be the most awesome country around. And well, there’ll be all those Nerf guns. 🙂
I Might Need A Nap 