I would have settled for 20 questions

After two croupy nights, we kept the Boy home from school today. And it was one of those "I made the right call" decisions, not the "Oh God it's 10 am and he's obviously totally fine, what have I done" kind.

I threw away my "To Do" list and snuggled up to watch a movie. We recently bought E.T. and he's been begging to watch it. I realized that the scary space-suit trespassing FBI guys are no scarier than Star Wars, and we found ourselves with the time, so we watched it. I felt myself transported back to the summer of 1982, when I won a trip to see E.T. in the library summer reading program.

And when I had a screen printed E.T. tshirt. I wish I still had mine, but unfortunately, I stole the picture off ebay.

The Boy cannot stand NOT to know something, so he asks more questions than my mom watching tv (which is a lot, ask my husband). I talked him through things, and paused the movie liberally to explain.

I had warned him about the part where Elliot calls his brother "penis breath" and threatened him mightily about what will happen if I EVER hear this uttered. There were a couple of other mild swear words mixed in there, but I think he missed them. He laughed at all the funny parts, cried when he thought E.T. was dying, and generally loved it.

But the minute it was over, HOLY QUESTIONS, Batman! He seriously asked me nonstop questions for an hour, trying to sort the whole good alien, bad scientists thing out in his brain.

A sampler...

• Why couldn't E.T. talk at the beginning?
• Why was E.T. so short?
• Why did the scientists wear those suits?
• Why did they put E.T. in the bathroom when they brought him home from the forest?
• Why did E.T. and Elliot feel the same things? How did that work?
• Why did E.T. get sicker and Elliot get better at the end?
• Why did their bicycles fly? Or maybe HOW?
• Why was Elliot yelling "You're killing him" when E.T. was dying
• How did Elliot get into that tube into the van
• Why did Gertie get to go to the forest herself? (lots of questions around this one, with the stellar 1982 parenting, kids left home alone on sick days, little kids trick or treating unchaperoned, and little sister sent out to the woods by herself)

And, after we watched the Bonus material "E.T. Reunion, 20 years later" and saw all the actors 20 years older....

• Why do they look like that? (You mean old??)
• Which one is E.T.?

He could not get over Drew Barrymore as an adult. Me either, because if she's that old, then I'm at least five years older.

We finally took Mom's favorite--a question break, but I'm sure he'll be back at it in the morning. Good thing Daddy's home and I have to work!