In hopes of preventing my son from unnecessary and costly material obsessions – I have limited his exposure to all typical child fascinations. But all of the following have somehow slipped in. Benjamin, just shy of two, has now developed fascinations with Thomas, Mickey and Elmo. And I’m afraid, there’s no going back. Thought I would vent on our new roommates…and distraction is good when you have relationship issues.

Thomas “the freaky” Tank Engine.

He discovered Thomas at the used toy store when a kind old lady (who I wanted to hug and kick at the same time) handed him a Thomas toy after he yelped for it. He wouldn’t let the thing out of his sight for two weeks. Then Benjamin was on a mission. He remembered this blue, smiling face from somewhere. His book stack! Yes, buried in the book stack was a Thomas story book I had bought for my nephew years ago. Then, a few days later, he emerged from his basement playroom with a Thomas DVD, also my nephew’s. “Train! Train!” He cried. Okay. I give in. Now we watch Thomas episodes, read the book and of course, play with that freaky Thomas toy.

Mickey “Prozac” Mouse

My best friend dropped her daughter off for an impromptu play date. She left a Mickey Mouse Club House DVD behind. A few weeks later Benjamin and I both caught a nasty sickness. Unable to move much, we had a movie watching marathon. Baby Einstein was driving me nuts. So I popped in Mickey Mouse. That was it. Mickey or “Ickey” was here to stay. Faced with any challenge – Mickey always rises to the occasion. Even when Pete, the nasty big cat, shouts in his face – he’s still smiling and always forgiving. Sometimes I want to punch Mickey in the face but I’m glad he’s teaching my kid how to be nice. And he has a really, really cool Club House.

Elmo – the pacifist monster

Ahhh…little Elmo. He’s so damn cute. I was a huge fan of Sesame Street when I was a kid. I remember when they introduced Elmo. I hated him. He just didn’t make sense and didn’t have anything on Cookie Monster – but now, as a mom, his appeal is clear as day. He’s Sesame Street’s answer to whiny, little toddlers. But he’s smart and that kid’s got character. I like him. If you haven’t seen Elmo in Grouchland check it out. Elmo loses his blankie – quite dramatic.

Hopefully all three will die a slow death and my son will play with inventive toys that inspire creativity. But I have a feeling that Thomas, Mickey and Elmo might win this fight.

[Photo credit: ThomasTankDepot.com, SesameStreet.org and Disney.com]

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