The Snowman

Baby M is a big fan of snowmen. In particular, Frosty the Snowman. Two months after Christmas we still sing the song daily and read the story several times a week. Baby M reminisces about watching the animated Frosty special with his grandparents, saying "We only listened to Frosty; there was no pictures." (Grandparents were babysitting and couldn't figure out to work our TV. Amazingly, Baby M listened to the entire 30 minute show while watching a blank screen. Luckily we Tivo'd it and he got to watch it again with sound and picture.) Every so often he says "Frosty the Snowman is a mailman" and then laughs like a loon. This is a joke that my in-laws taught him. Don't ask me. I don't get it. The point is, thinking, talking and singing about snowmen take up a fair amount of Baby M's time.

So when we traveled up to Big Bear this past weekend we were really looking forward to building a snowman with him. On the way up the mountain my husband and I quizzed Baby M: "How do you build a snowman?" Baby M replied matter-of-factly, "You need snow feet and you need to buy snow ears and get a carrot nose." Then for clarification he added, "Frosty has a button nose."

We met up with our friends and their 2 kids at our rented cabin and spent an hour or so building a 4 foot tall snowman. The snow was a bit icy so it wasn't an easy task, and I kept lobbying for a 2 foot tall snowman, but to no avail. My husband was insistent that the snowman be at least as tall as a Kindergartener. He and the kids soldiered on and eventually they created a pretty impressive snowman. Baby M, however, was disappointed. "He doesn't talk," he stated flatly. I tried to explain to him that Frosty had a magic hat and that's why he could talk, but Baby M just looked at me and said, "No Mommy, he's just pretend." So much for childhood fantasy.

Later that afternoon some more friends came up to visit with their 3 kids who proceeded knock the head off the snowman and then punch and kick him until he was just a sad little snow pile. Baby M didn't seem to mind and with 6 kids under 6 running around none of the parents said much about it either. But my poor husband was crushed. As we drove down the mountain he sadly wondered why everyone stood by and allowed a pack of boys to destroy the lovingly built snowman. Why didn't anyone apologize? Don't kids today have any respect? He would have sounded like a grumpy old man except for the fact that he was sincerely heartbroken over it. Poor guy. I guess sometimes neither snowmen nor Daddies get any respect.