It happened so fast.
He didn’t know what hit him.
Or was it a she?
He, she, it, who or whatever donned the Sylvester costume at Six Flags Great America last Saturday; you have this mom’s heartfelt thanks.
Thank you for rebounding so quickly when my overzealous 6-year-old tackled you like a rag doll.
I didn’t realize you would be so short.
Thank you for embracing my daughter in your furry arms with extra enthusiasm after she screamed: “Sylvester, I drove three HOURS to hug you!”
I didn’t realize you could hear so well through all that fluff.
Thank you for striking a myriad of spooky Halloween poses with my feline wannabe.
I didn’t realize you were so flexible.
Finally, thank you for humoring my little girl while she pulled out her Looney Tunes fruit treats to show you what you look like as a colorful processed snack food.
I didn’t realize you were so tasty.
And I bet you didn’t realize that a year ago, my daughter wouldn’t have come within 100 yards of your furriness.
We’ve been to Six Flags Great America many times since my daughter’s birth, but never would she consider going near any of the costumed characters that roamed the park’s grounds. While armies of youngsters chased after Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety and Sylvester just to get a single high-five from one of their padded paws; my daughter would scream bloody murder at the mere sight of the popular cartoon characters.
Despite motherly encouragement (“Oh honey, they’re so cute! How about one little picture?”), bribes (“Sweetie, I’ll buy you an ice cream cone if you say ‘hi’ to Bugs. Chocolate. You love chocolate ice cream.”), rationalizing (“Pumpkin, that’s not really a huge yellow bird. It’s just a man dressed up like a huge yellow bird… that walks… and waves… and, oh, never mind.”) my daughter simply wouldn’t go near the costumed Six Flags’ Great America creatures.
Until…
Until last Saturday.
It was a complete shock to everyone who has been forced to listen to the glass-shattering, ear-piercing, where-can-I-dig-a-hole-and-hide-myself wails that my daughter emitted each time she caught even the teeny-tiniest glance of a costumed character.
To see her race into the arms of a cat on two legs made my jaw drop. A few tears dropped as well.