know fear *

* weren't those shirts the best?  I associate them with Zima for some reason.  I never owned a No Fear shirt and I never tasted a Zima, but for some reason, they just go seem to go together.  

There are a few universal fears that all children experience.  And I feel safe in assuming that those fears are perpetuated by older siblings.  For those of us who are oldest siblings, I have no idea where we learn them (Sesame Street?).  All I know is that we did/do our best to ensure that those younger than us are more afraid (in general) than we are.  In this we take solace.

Earlier this year a child predator in a...wait for it...white van (!!) was allegedly trying to nab kids near schools in town.  The kids heard about it.  A lot.  In school.  At home.  At friends' homes.  White vans are now somewhere on the list between spiders in the basement and monsters under the bed.

A few weeks ago Brennan and Zoe were playing in our front yard.  I looked out the window just in time to observe Brennan looking apprehensively at the road in front of our house; he then put his arm around Zoe's shoulder and led her towards the backyard.  He glanced over his shoulder twice during the retreat, quickening his pace each time.  What was the source of his concern, you ask?

A white Prius containing two Baby Boomer-aged women going door to door handing out political campaign material.

Unless you really dislike grassroots activism, they were about as far from predatory as it gets.  I was tempted to tell them my son had confused them for white-van-driving child molesters, but I wasn't convinced they'd find the humor in his perspective.  They looked awfully focused.

While Brennan may torment his sisters mercilessly at times, and do his fair share of fear perpetuation, I can confidently state that that he doesn't want them to be kidnapped.  At least not Zoe.  I'll take it.

PS.  He may want to keep Zoe around for entertainment.  After she saw this, she did this.