Plastic Noise

So, I'm reading Dooce's post today and there's this picture of a kid's tape player made by Fisher Price. Dooce (Heather) says that her daughter has been sleeping with this tape player lately (shame on you Leta).
My kids have the exact same tape player. My son, now 10 and my daughter, now 8, have had it for years and years. It is the no-fail tape player. No tape can confuse it and no matter how hard it gets beaten, no matter how many times it gets left outside overnight in the snow, it works. It’s the Energizer Bunny of all tape players.
Now, you may think it’s not ordinary for a kid (like Leta) to carry this thing all over creation – but not so. My kids did the same thing. Did they sleep with it? Well, not exactly. But they have both had phases where they’ve slept next to it, with horrid kid-music blaring into their little sleepy ears.
As it so happens, ours is sitting next to my daughter’s bed right now. She listens to it every night as she falls asleep. It made its way out of the depths of her closet about two weeks ago. Last night she fell asleep to Shania Twain. Yes. Better show me a teasin’ squeazin’ pleasin’ kinda time… the other night it was the Coasters…eh eh and then along came Jooones…slow walkin’ Jones…slow talkin’ Jones…
Okay, so here’s one way you can come to love this hunk of plastic yourself (if you have one - and who doesn't?) almost as much as you love your daily pill. Put a blank tape in it and leave it recording while you read a story to your kids (don’t tell them about it). Or, do the same thing while they're taking a bath. Or, when they're helping you bake cookies in the kitchen. Or, if you can, capture them while they play alone with all they're stuff.
These are the moments we moms can’t catch on our Canons and Nikons. It’s the little voice. You know what I’m talking about. That little voice that we love so much. Capture them saying things like, “an den de whale goes thplthplthplthplthpl” as bubbles fly from the tub water. I promise you, you will have a new found passion for the Fisher Price.
But, for God’s sake, don’t teach them to use that microphone.

Oh, and keep the tapes. Sometimes I pull them out now and play them in the car on long trips and the kids CRACK UP in the back seat. No kidding, they laugh until their little heads split open in glee. And there’s nothing like hearing them laugh. So worth it.