I don’t claim to be the best mother, or even the most involved mother, but I do have one thing on other moms of boys that no one can mess with; and that’s that I know Star Wars. Not only do I “know” about the Star Wars movies, but I know details, I know philosophies, theories, connections, characters, costumes, and so on. In fact, I could probably educate many a man on Star Wars. It’s something I’m proud of, and one of the things Mark loves most about me. Also, my love for football, but that’s for another day.
Parker is really into Star Wars. He’s never seen the movies, and states that he’s not ready to until he’s six, but he’s got interest. Whether it is the Star Wars books his daddy has, or the Star Wars socks his mommy wears with her rain boots (they just fit well with my boots), or really, because RJ is into Star Wars. Uncle Dave just brought Star Wars Band-Aids for the boys and Parker is treating them like temporary tattoos. Parker has one on his arm, and Reid has one on his arm, and his back, because Parker says it looks good on his back. He also has two light sabers, but really, he just has TONS of questions. Questions that I, as the cool Star Wars mom, can answer. Tonight at dinner he asks me, “Mommy, is Anakin really Darth Vader?” This arises from his wanting a Vader Band-Aid when there aren’t any because the Band-Aids are from The Clone Wars. So I tell him, “Parker, Anakin turns into Darth Vader, so if you want a Vader Band-Aid, you might as well wear an Anakin Band-Aid and it’s essentially the same thing.” This of course confuses him. “Mommy,” he says, “Why did Anakin turn into Darth Vader?” “Well,” I say, “That’s a loaded question my son.” I begin to enlighten him on the complexities of Anakin’s past and why he possessed the intense anger and sadness that eventually overcame him and led him to the dark side, which made him vulnerable to Emperor Palpatine, which then led to his becoming Darth Vader. He watched me with intent, and I could tell he was processing my response, but I’m sure he became lost in the sentence, “Well, Parker, Anakin is a complex character…” His next question was, “Mommy, do the Storm Troopers work for Darth Vader?” I immediately launch into a diatribe, “That’s an interesting question Parker. One would think the Storm Troopers do work for Darth Vader, but in fact they work for the Galactic Empire, and the Empire existed before Darth Vader. In fact, the stormtroopers were originally called clonetroopers and were commissioned by the Republic to be their grand army…” Parker turns starry eyed and says, “Mommy, I want a Darth Vader costume.” My knowledge is lost on this young padawan, I shall save my energy for another day.
Hey, I may not play Playdo for hours, or shout, “Arghh!” with enthusiasm as I dress up as a pirate, but I know Star Wars, and when Parker and Reid want answers to their Star Wars questions, and Daddy’s at work, they know where to come.
