Sunny Day

My boy got himself a jones. Everyday bout 4:00 pm he starts moping and mumbling to himself. He's disoriented and antsy. He might even cry. I know what he needs. I'm his man. I know the buttons to push to fix him up. I press them. Moments later, he's blissin. Music is playing in his head.

Sunny day
Chasin the clouds away...

Like most kids my son loves Sesame Street. He gets his hour every afternoon, drawn up from the Tivo well. He sings. He dances. He counts. He laughs. It's his daily visit with his pals. I don't know if he's learning anything (I assume he is), but he enjoys it and I can't knock that.

I was born too early to get "Street", as my son shorthands it. When it premiered I was just barely past the target demo. For me and my pals it was for little kids, not us. Though no one in this country can be unaware of Sesame, it was never burned into my brain the way it was for, say, my wife, who is younger than I.

For Christmas this year my mother-in-law provided the boy with a DVD collection of old Sesame Street episodes. "Old School", they're called and the set he got contains the very first episode and a couple of others as well as some favorite short pieces. When we cued it up the first time my son was seriously thrown. There was the familiar theme song, but it was definitely a different arrangement. The title sequence was not one he recognized, though it features kids playing, as I am certain all the the opening incarnations have over the years. He stared at the television, mouth agape, eyes wide, clearly disturbed. Suddenly, the dam burst, his finger pointed accusingly, "That not right!" Just too much early '70's for his brain to take.

The DVD package actually states that it is not intended for children - really, it says that - “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” Educational programming has changed that much, I guess. Old Sesame Street is grungier, more urban, less prozacy, not so damned antiseptic. Characters mumble. Diversity seems natural and not so... planned. Oscar the Grouch really is. Big Bird is shockingly stupid. Cookie Monster has real issues. Bert and Ernie are obviously "domestic partners". The hyperactive Elmo is nonexistent. I find it comforting.

My wife plays it for herself. She has been stunned by how it triggers things long buried in her brain. Songs rise to the surface that she hasn't thought of in thirty years - songs she now hums or sings incessantly. I envy her that touchstone with her childhood.

The boy has come to accept, even enjoy, the Old School set. Half the time he demands "old street", not new. He's even started singing the old songs. Maybe he likes the grainy quality. Maybe the 60's/70's fashions are appealing. Perhaps he finds the faded colors a gentler palette. Maybe the more complex range of good and bad interests him. Or maybe, he's just decided he doesn't need so much prozac.




Addendum: One can't imagine breastfeeding even showing up on today's Street.