Plain Trains, Dinosaurs and Automobiles

Kids may share DNA, some physical attributes and even beds, but their personal interests can split wider than a sumo wrestler’s briefs.
Well, I guess that’s a bad analogy, because sumo wrestlers don’t wear briefs. At least I assume they don’t, but how would I know, as they’re hidden under those diapers they wind ’round, and ’round, and ’ROUND, their bodies, although leaving their cheeks exposed. The garments look like thongs (often known as butt floss, in crass circles, but this column is a class act, so I would never call them that).
Now, HOW did I get sidecracked, uh, sideTRACKED, THAT time?
Anyway, back on point: Kids sure aren’t cookie cutters, when it comes to their individual passions. Oh, they may share interests in some things, such as toy cars. Vincent always has liked cars, and Jack is fond of them, too, but Luke is passionate about them.
In fact, the 3-year-old is a definition of passionate, usually walking around with two or three cars in each hand. And red is his favorite color, so you can guess his star car: Lightning McQueen. Of course, that also makes him passionate about the movie “Cars” because, for him, life is a highway.



For Jack, it’s dinosaurs, always has been, always will be. He’s got enough dinosaurs of various sizes and strains to fill Jurassic Park. And woe is me when I call a T rex a velociraptor. The 5-year-old isn’t patient with dino ignorance.





Jack isn’t one-dimensional, though, as he recently took a fancy to snow globes. Although I’m sure their numbers never will rival his dinosaurs, when he accumulated four of the globes, he proudly started referring to them as his “snow globe collection.”
Not that I spoil the lads, but I promptly went on a quest to circle globes that would have put Columbus to shame. Within a short time, I had accumulated more than a dozen for future gifts. I’m set for Christmases and birthdays for a long time.
One provided a good example of the fact that Vincent could care less about snow globes. Whenever we have a gift for one or the other of the lads, we make sure to squirrel it away when Jack or Luke visits because they immediately would want to know who gets it. And they aren’t that good at keeping secrets.
But I had no worries during one of Vincent’s overnights. I had a snow globe ensconced on the kitchen counter, where I was gluing parts that had fallen off during shipment. I hid it in plain sight, so to speak.
The 7-year-old walked past it a dozen times and said nary a word. Because he doesn’t give a RIP about snow globes.
Finally, I said, “That snow globe is for Jack.”
“I know,” he replied, not even interested enough to ask whether it was for Christmas or birthday, or whatever.
On the other hand, Jack and I were watching a movie that featured several scenes of trains. “Vincent would LOVE this movie,” he said, acknowledging his older brother’s passion even though his brought yawns from the elder.
Vincent’s passion for trains was fueled back when he barely could walk. Whenever he heard a train in the distance, he’d leap into my arms and we’d run off to see it.
His interests take new turns once in awhile (right now, he’s into karate), but he always gets back on track: train tracks.
He can identify engines by fuel type and cars by work assignment as well as Jack does dinosaurs and whether they are plant eaters or carnivores.
Vincent can sit in front of train videos for hours on end.




As for the caboose of the family’s train, 5-month-old Patrick is passionate about one thing: cuddling up to the trough, so to speak. But we all know the flap that breast-feeding photos are causing on Facebook, so I’ll pass up posting graphic graphics. But I wish there was some way to broaden his interests beyond suckling to sleeping longer instead of just catnapping between burps and other bodily functions.
And I know Mom does, too. The little stinker takes short naps, at his leisure, and, although he sleeps through some nights, he still wakes up for a mid-night snack.
The lad’s parents need their sleep!