#732 like mother, like son

T likes to collect things. He always has, even as a little kid. When he was little, he collected what we called "fellas" - little action figures. I can't even tell you how many Buzz Lightyear action figures he had. Later, it was cards like Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon. He has thousands of cards. After that, it was video games. A new game comes out, he has to have it. If Game Stop has a table of cheap used or older games, T will stock up on some of the titles.

I admit some culpability here. T is our only child so MT and I will give him nearly everything he wants. He is also the only grandchild on my side of the family and my parents don't see him very often and also tend to indulge him in his wants.

Right now T is really into movies. He has several movie stars that he really likes: Ryan Gosling, Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg come to mind quickly. T likes to watch movies. He likes to own movies. He wants to have them in his possession.


T has spent the past week in California visiting his grandparents. As a kid, I loved spending time at my grandparent's house, and I'm happy for T to be able to spend some time alone with his grandparents too. He likes being in Southern California. He told me that he would like to go to college at USC, which prompted me to say, "Good luck with that."

Anyway, since my parents haven't seen T for awhile, they were happy to see him and took him shopping. They wound up at Best Buy where T ended up with 28 new DVDs. He bought some himself but most were purchased by his doting grandparents.

I'm not giving my parents any grief about this. I remember when I was a kid, staying in California with my grandparents and my aunt and they would get me things and I'd be so happy and my mom would say, "Oh! You shouldn't have given her so much!" and I would be sad because I loved my new things. I get where my mom is coming from NOW. My first reaction to the 28 movies was, "Dang Mom and Dad! He doesn't need 28 DVDs!" Of course it's not about NEEDING the DVDs. It's about indulgence and love and putting a big ol' smile on the face of a person you love.

So, I'm ok with it all, but I wonder where T gets the need to collect.

It became crystal clear for me today.

I brought one library book with me for the weekend. I started reading it on Thursday or Friday, and I liked it pretty well, and I read it during the flight to Long Beach. (I usually watch TV or take a nap, but I read and read.) The book was so good that I found myself reading a couple of pages whenever I found myself just sitting around. I finished the book this morning. Now what am I supposed to do on the plane tonight? I could watch TV or nap, but what if there's nothing fun to watch or I'm not sleepy? I'm in reading mode now. I need a new book! I could wait until I get to the airport and buy one there, or I could go to the store now and pick up something that I've been wanting to read for awhile.

T and I headed out to Barnes and Noble. The bookstore is something I love and hate at the same time. I love to read, but I don't really like to spend money on books. I'm a big fan of the library. I like to read free books. When I go to the library, I often pick up two or three books at a time because I can.

T went one way and I went another. I found several books that I would enjoy reading, but I finally settled on one that I've been wanting to read for a couple of years, "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave. I don't know why I want to read it so badly, but I do! I carried it around the store while I looked for T. I couldn't find him, so I sent him a text that I was ready to go.

That's when I saw it. My very most favorite tables at Barnes & Noble: BUY 2, GET THE 3RD BOOK FREE.

I told myself to turn away. I had "Little Bee" in my hand and I was happy. Don't go to the table! Leave now!

But I couldn't do it. I was drawn to the sales table like a moth to a flame.

I immediately found four books that I wanted to read. Now what do I do?

Enter T. He quickly found two books on the table that he wanted. Problem solved. Pick six books, pay for four. All is well. "Live a life of 'Oh wells' not a life of 'What ifs' Mom," T says. Who knew he'd be so philosophical at 14?

He had also found another book that he wanted, and he tried to convince me to go ahead and get "Little B". (I didn't.) We split the cost on the seven books and we smiled all the way home. Now my problem is which of my four new books to read first.

When we got home and showed my mom our purchases, she said, "Now I see where he gets it." Yeah, I guess I like to collect things, too. I like books, CDs, and coats/jackets. There's probably more, too, but I can't think of anything else right now. We have a little hoarder tendency there, I think.

Now the trick is to get all our new stuff stashed in our carry-on bags because we don't like to check our suitcases. I think we'll be ok.

When we get home, let's read and watch movies!!