Sunday, September 27, 2009

Looking for trouble

Two brothers, six and nine, were fooling around, playing a silly version of THOMAS THE TANK
ENGINE and wrestling a lot. The older then started singing this song to the tune of the real
theme song, cranking his arm like a train as he ran around the kitchen:

"Thomas the Tank engine, looking for trouble --"

This made me laugh: picturing that earnest, always-trying-to-get-it little train looking for trouble. (It has to be admitted that looking for trouble is usually an accurate description of the boy singing the line and giggling hysterically.) As they wrestled and ran around I couldn't resist telling them I had an addition but it had to be sung in an English accent to work:

"Thomas the tank engine,
Looking for trouble,
Thomas the tank engine,
getting it double!

Thomas the tank engine,
crashing the train,
Thomas the tank engine
Does it again!"

They played and sang this for over an hour, laughing as they pummelled each other. Picture the older boy lying on the ground, being repeatedly punched by his younger brother while he himself laughed delightedly and shouted:
"This is definitely getting it double!"

This is the kind of energy being around some kids creates and silly as it may be, I love it. Perhaps part of the fascination is that brothers (I have 3 sisters) play so differently with each other than sisters do-- at first, I was worried and asked:
"Is this going to end in someone crying?" but they assured me it wasn't....at least, the older brother did. The younger one looked a little more doubtful about that.

But, as it happened, no one cried until the next activity -- running around the house, the OUTSIDE of the house, without stopping, until someone gave up.
"What do you get if you win?" the little brother asked.
"The loser has to be Thomas the Tank Engine," the older brother said.