Good/Bad Influences

As a mother, I try to filter everything that Max and Porter watch on TV. I keep them away from shows that might encourage them to mimic bad behavior especially at this very impressionable age. I even think while watching my own favorite shows, if they were watching it, what would they pick up on? How would they interpret what they're seeing? So you have to imagine how excited I was when Max became a die-hard, watch every episode a million times like it's never been seen before, Thomas the Tank Engine fan. What mother wouldn't be pleased with this choice? Non-violent, sweet choo choos who think of each others feelings and learn lessons about taking turns and sharing. Well...that's what I thought until Max started this new thing. Driving his trains through anything and everything! Let me give you an example of my frustration. Breakfast, a yummy bowl of "Snap, Crackle, Pop Rice Krispies" and milk. Ahh...they love this early morning meal. But I turn my back for a minute and Max has scooped out the milk soaked crisped rice, (honestly there is nothing more detestable in my opinion that soggy cereal, so soggy, it's become a paste!) and dumped the glue-like blobs onto the table for Thomas to drive through, then a few hands full of the goopy mess drop on the engines smokestack. Aside from being very annoyed, I thought nothing of what the point to this was.
And then I realized he was doing this with everything, stacks of colorfull flashcards, the woodchips at the playground, an entire box of baby wipes, pulled out one by one, covering his favorite trains from wheels to funnel. And one of my biggest annoyances, all of the blocks and tiny toys that fill the buckets in their room (meticulously organized of course, sorted by toy type) and there at the bottom of the pile, his train of choice, being pushed through the mounds of stuff. Then it finally hit me! These scenes had been played out and replayed over and over from his favorite Thomas DVD, Thomas' Snowy Surprise. In the episode, Thomas has to push through piles of snow on the tracks. And it all makes sense now. Max buries hit choo choo's saying "Thomas, snow!" He can do this for endless minutes! (that's a really long time for a toddler)
So see, no matter how benign you might think something is, it can become just about anythingin those sweet imaginations.