"Will you be back by September 16?"
The boy must have asked me that question a bazillion times since the first week of September. He reserved Star Wars, the Force Unleashed way back in the summer. I paid for it before my work trip, but he was still worried.
"I'll be back on the 18th, but you can go pick it up after school. You have the receipt and it's being held in your name."
I patiently explained -- again -- how the deed would go down.
It's great to be a kid and to be so excited about things. That excitement seems to get lost in adulthood. I remember the same keen thrill when I was a kid -- except my passion was horses and horseback riding. I couldn't get enough of it. When I was my son's age, I had my own pony, took care of him, worked to buy my own tack and gear, and competed in horse shows.
I understand what it's like to have an obsessive hobby. Although my riding days are long past, I have a few interests now that border on obsession. It's never a dull moment and I am happier for it.
So it pleases me to see my son has developed a means of entertaining himself, of broadening his world.
Last week The Force was unleashed at 1415 and it's an amazing game. The kid is a maniac. I'm happy to see him happy, so it's all good. An extra bonus: he's doing his homework without all the pushing and prodding because he wants a little down time on his games.
