I am Worried About the Property Values in Gotham City

I gotta believe that property values in Gotham City are worse than the national average considering the high crime rate. I’m also curious as to who writes Batman’s first party liability insurance coverage for the bat mobile and how many maids it takes to clean all the bathrooms in Wayne Manor. I guess I have a hard time suspending the bounds of reality when I watch superhero cartoons with my kids. My children, on the other hand can enter the world of imagination at a drop of a hat.

Even at the tender age of twenty four months, Beth understands the world of pretend. I love watching her hold her little yellow ducky toy and make quacking noises as it splashes across the tub looking for adventure. Its also fun to see her lift a tiny pink tea cup to the mouth of her stuffed bear and make imaginary sipping noises. We both see the same stuffed bear and the same pink teacup. The difference is, her minds eye also sees a sweet nectar in the cup and appreciates how much the bear is enjoying it. And she isn’t even worried about the fact that the cup spent the last two weeks under a pile of socks and probably carries a thousand unidentified germs.

Emily’s imagination is even bigger. I often find her having intimate conversations with her dolls and animals. This week, she is helping them learn good manners. Last week, she taught them to sing Happy Birthday. She doesn’t find it odd that the stuffed pink whale sleeping in her bed never swims in the ocean. Or that the lamb and the lion are literally lying next to each other.

When Eric was a baby, I use to sing to him about the “House at Pooh Corner.” It’s a Kenny Loggins song about a boy who wanders too far from fantasy land and can’t find his way back. Eventually the boy grows up and, on becoming a father, partakes again in the beautiful, wonderful, magical world that belongs only to children and their best friend toys. It goes like this:

So, help me if you can
I've got to get back to the house at Pooh corner by one
You'd be surprised there's so much to be done,
Count all the bees in the hive,
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh.

The difficult part for me when I hear this song is not the understanding that I left Pooh corner; it’s the realization that one day Eric, Emily and Beth will probably journey forth as well. I want them to experience the joys of imagination for as long as possible. My only hope is that they can hold a small whisper in their hearts as they go along.

To be honest, we all probably hold a bit of Pooh corner inside. Its that part of us that enjoys the first rays of the early morning sunrise. It’s the little voice inside that persuades use to hop through a puddle as we dart among the rain drops trying to catch the bus. It’s the way we suspend reality, and think no one can see us, as we belt out the nonsensical words to Bohemian Rhaposdy while maneuvering the car through rush hour traffic. It’s how we won’t admit it
but we secretly love watching “Spiderman” and the “Wonder Pets” and sometimes will even watch a few minutes of the most bizarre cartoons while the kids are napping.

So, yes, I am worried about the property values in Gotham City. And I continue to fret over whether Superman tosses his cape in the laundry or sends it out to the dry cleaners. But every once in a while, if you sneak up on me when I least expect it, you might catch me playing a game of tea party with Emily’s doll when I am suppose to be cleaning her room.