DUCKY SAVES THE DAY

Although I use it all of the time, I'm not a die-hard lover of technology. I like convenience as much as the next person. We are a microwave family for sure. Sometimes, though, I worry that it is too easy for any of us to get caught up in all of the bells, whistles and apps.

That said, I love how easy it is to find information on the web, especially the useless or oddball kind. This week alone our household has googled everything from rare diseases to the music video to the song "Billionaire." Sadly, none of these searches could be counted as productive contributions to society.

Twice this week though, technology, more specifically the internet, saved the day in our house. The first "googling" was a frantic search to find the lyrics to "Rubber Ducky" when The Husband and I were prepping for another bath time with the Little One. If you remember from our recent home movie post, he's still not sure how he feels about this whole bath thing we make him do a few times every week.

The second incident happened today when the little guy was battling a tummy ache. I patted his back, bounced him and swayed back and forth, but nothing seemed to help. Each scream broke my heart a little more. Then I remembered how big a hit our "Rubber Ducky" rendition was and thought I'd give it another shot. In the midst of the chaos, I couldn't remember the lyrics. Luckily, our laptop was within reach on the other side of the bed. I googled the title once more. This time though, I noticed a video link at the top of the search results page. Was that Ernie? Was that a bathtub? Was that….a rubber ducky in his hand? I looked at the screaming baby in my arms and, in a moment of desperation, I strayed into the land of "I'll try anything" that all parents eventually wander into. I clicked on the video.

The next sixty seconds were heaven. The LIttle One and I sat there, side by side, eyes wide and mouths slightly ajar, finally relaxed, watching a video clip I hadn't seen in thirty years. We both smiled. Then the music ended and the picture disappeared. The crying started again, but a little quieter this time.

As I sat there patting his back again I thought about what had just happened. I didn't beat myself up for using t.v. as a crutch. I didn't feel guilty. For once, I just enjoyed the moment. Today my little boy watched Sesame Street for the first time.