WHAT?! Mario & Sonic are NOT at the Olympic Winter Games?

Chicago winters are so long and cold that we "invested" in a Wii.  Yes, we did convince ourselves that it was something that we "needed" - and something that would create more playtime for us as a family.  We were right on one count, anyway.  Clearly no one needs video games - no matter how many commercials and ads make it seem that way.  But we definitely play it as a group, which seriously rocks.

One of our best Christmas gifts this year was "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games." (See, even Santa is investing in our family fun!)  P thought it would be good to play in preparation for watching the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.  No, seriously, he did.

Well...turns out he was right. Although RT cares most about shopping in the Wii Olympic Village with the points he's saved up from coming in last in every single event, he does recognize the various events: figure skating, downhill skiing - even curling!  One problem: until last night, he couldn't understand why he wasn't going to see Mario or Sonic competing during the real Olympics.  In his defense, the game begins with the Vancouver Olympics logo. My concrete thinker is clearly trying to work out the relationship between the Wii Olympics and the real Olympics.  This mirrors the mental exercises he does all the time - what is real? what is pretend? And my favorite: can pretend things (monsters - or worse: the blue Avatar people) ever become real?

After building it up all day, we watched the Opening Ceremonies last night as a family (sans bebe). P set up a pallet on the floor for RT to lay down while watching, and we had fun identifying the different nations and their flags during the procession. I'm sad to say (sort of) that he fell asleep long before the exciting part of the show really began, and he missed the torch lighting completely.  I suggested to P that we wake him up, but he gently reminded me that "that is what YouTube is for."  So he slept on, oblivious as The Great One jogged around Vancouver carrying the Olympic flame.  And we didn't have to field any questions about the locations of Mario and Sonic - nor did we have to get into the ins and outs of what is real and what is pretend.  A few question-free hours?  Bliss.