The Monkees: The Next Generation

There are many moments that bring tears of joy to a mother's eye.
Her baby's first steps.
When her child says, "I love you, Mommy."
A big hug and kiss.

... and when her six year old daughter watches her first Monkees episode and laughs and says, "Again!"

Sniff, sniff ...

Many of you know I've been a Diehard Monkees Fan and Expert since I was about six or seven. Today has been a very Do Nothing Day, which I have to constantly remind is NOT necessarily a bad thing!

The girls played with blocks. We read Richard Scarry and "Amanda Pig" books together. I sat on the floor and played with MegaBlocks with Baby Ben. I dressed Baby Ben in a Tigger costume that used to be Baby Rebecca's. All three kids played with the musical instruments bin. I quickly mixed up a Bisquick pumpkin bread and threw it in the oven. (I was about the put it in the oven when I saw the unopened can of pumpkin sitting on the counter. Mmm, that would have been tasty!)

Anyway, it seemed like the perfect day to dig out the Monkees box set that my loving husband gave me a few years ago.

It took some coaxing, because at first, because at first they weren't too interested. Rebecca said the show was "too long." Rachael didn't think it was as funny as I hoped she would. I was ready to give up just yet. I kept asking them to hang in there and kept skipping around to different episodes.

Some mothers say, "Sit down and do your math problems!" I, on the other hand, say, "Sit down and watch The Monkees and start LIKING it!"

And then I got smart and put on "Monkee vs Machine" with Stan Freberg as the head of a toy manufacturing company. The kids in it caught the girls' attention.

Rebecca is still not convinced. She just asked me when the Monkees would die so she wouldn't have to keep watching them. She's only four. I'll go easy on her.

But Rachael is now watching the episode (the second half only) for the fourth time. I'm so touched ... the legacy continues ... my daughter understands ...