Clifford the Big Red Dog

My little guy Hunter LOVES, LOVES, LOVES animals! Always has since he was an infant. He still sleeps with his 4 stuffed puppy dogs every night right up by his pillow and covers them up so they don't get cold! So, when we started watching PBS around 9mos ago naturally, Clifford the Big Red Dog was his show of choice! He started repeating lines from episodes he favored and at one point even told me to call his grandma and tell her when Clifford was on because he was spending the night and didn't want to miss it! (On a side note, he really doesn't watch that much T.V., only about 2hrs all day long!) When he started really getting into Clifford about 6mos ago, I remembered that Uncle Chad and Aunt Krista had given him a DVD of Clifford about 2 Christmas's ago, so I dug it out of the box in the garage and we watched it every day, sometimes more than once! We would go to the library once a week and all he ever wanted to check out was Clifford! So, when I saw Clifford Uno cards at the store around Christmas, I grabbed them so proud of myself...he was going to LOVE them! I also managed a Clifford book and he got one from my Mom too! So, imagine my surprise the last two days when asked what he would like to watch, the reply not be Clifford! I have actually repeated his request back to him and said "Honey, are you sure you don't want to watch Clifford"? "Yes", he said "No Clifford, only super-dog or only Ninja Turtles". "Are you sure"? I would say? "Yes, just no Clifford now"! What is happening I asked myself? Is the world coming to an end? Hunter not wanting to watch Clifford, but rather these other "older-kid" shows that I'm not so sure I like anyways??? I used to beg him to watch something other than Clifford! Now he wants nothing to do with him? Then it hit me: H-E I-S G-R-O-W-I-N-G U-P! NOOOOOO!!!! I have been silently screaming to myself all day! Not yet, just keep wanting to watch the antics of Clifford, Cleo and T-Bone! Wear your T-bone shirt and sweats every single chance you get, repeat those sweet, gentle lines from the show, tell me over and over again "Mommy, I like you just the way you are"! Just stay the way you are right now, always! But he cant, and really, I want him to grow, it just is happening too fast!

So, even though we may not watch Clifford as much as we used to I will always remember the sweet little boy who would take pictures of the T.V. when it was on, and who barks and whimpers like T-bone, and for the one who still sleeps with his puppies every night! And I will cherish the nights when he asks me to read Clifford to him before he goes to bed for pretty soon he will not be asking me to read to him anymore because he will be able to do it on his own.