There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to - as most people know, our son is completely 100% totally obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine aka Thomas the Train aka Thomas.
I still blame my dad who innocently took his then-13 month old grandson to the Sacramento Railroad Museum and subsequently bought a lovely starter wood train track. Little would we know that years later, H owns almost every train, more Thomas related products than are even appropriate to stock a toy store, let alone one child's room, and talks about or plays with Thomas every. single. day.
Thomas is a HUGE part of our lives, and not one that I am especially thrilled about. I just don't really get the draw/fascination. Sure, boys-trains-things that move, that I understand. But Thomas and Friends specifically? Definitely do not see what the big deal is. In fact, it can be, how do I put this lightly, sooooo annoying. Someone once told me that they believed the trains' faces (yes, the trains all have names and faces and are extremely British) are calming to kids...I tend to believe there are subliminal messages that send kids crazy messages to yell at their parents for Thomas stuff. There are no lessons in multiculturalism or being a good neighbor, for example, coming from Thomas. And while Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Pierce Brosnan are rad narrators, I still don't see what is so great about it? *SIGH* But what do you do when your kid adores something? Well, I guess you just kind of give in to a certain point. And learn how to build really awesome train tracks. And spend every free day in Sacramento at the Railroad Museum. And wash the Thomas shirt and pajamas and sheets all the time so they are clean. And memorize all of their funky names. And if you are really just giving in, learn to appreciate some of the joy that Thomas brings - like the magical Day Out With Thomas.
Earlier this year, the Fillmore Western Railway (perfect location between SB and FP) hosted "the real Thomas", as H still calls him, and his friends. We rode on a train pulled by the little blue cheeky engine himself while the theme song played on repeat overhead.
Maximum amount of Thomas activities. It is important to note that not much about Thomas really has to do with trains in general, but rather this specific brand. I am not really as cynical as I sound, just pointing things out!
One of the coolest part of the day is that our friends the D'Cruz family met us for the fun. Miles was very serious about the train table and we wish we could play with him all the time - and of vent about how random Thomas is with another Mommy who gets it!
Harrison and Livia hung out with the "real Percy"
H still talks all the time about how much fun he had with new friends, meeting the real Thomas
But the real highlight was sharing all of the fun with the original Thomas
pusher and his accomplice!
April 2010
