A Mom and More

I do not recall liking dinosaurs when I was a kid. I knew from science lessons that dinosaur (dino) fossils have been excavated and preserved in museums; that these fossils proved that dinosaurs existed long before man — either contradicting the book of Genesis (which taught us that the world, living creatures and man were created altogether in six days, with God resting on the seventh) or giving us the notion that six days of creation meant millions of years in our present day concept of time. Dinosaurs are said to have gone extinct 65 million years before man appeared on earth. I did not bother to question this fact-myth. A superficial knowledge of dinosaurs allowed me to get by.

I had to learn a bit more about them when my son Aon (then 7 years old) developed an interest in dinosaurs after seeing Spielberg’s Jurassic Park around 1993. Without really knowing why he began liking dinosaurs (except that it was a childish fad), we gave him dino books, posters, dino bone puzzles, and resin collectibles to encourage him to discover new things, to learn about science though the dinosaur. However, in less than a quarter of a year, it was goodbye dinosaur and hello pogs for Aon.

I am glad I preserved his dino stuff to hand down to my youngest nephew Driggs. Unlike Aon, Driggs had loved dinosaurs for already 6 years, since he was barely 2. He has treasured the dino collections he has inherited from Aon and continues to appreciate dino-themed gifts on his birthdays. He teaches me the names of differest dinos and quizzes me about them. I often feel embarrassed I can’t remember all (or refuse to, afraid to have nightmares about them) since I see dinosaurs as mythical monsters with sharp teeth, rough skin, and big feet — unlike the cuddly bears, puppies, and bunnies I’ve always been fond of.

For Driggs’ sake, I forced myself to remember these dinosaur facts: 1) the word dinosaur comes from the term dinosauria meaning terrible lizard, 2) some dinosaurs are plant eaters (herbivores) and some were meat eaters (omnivores), 3) the age at death of a dinosaur is determined by counting the rings on its long bones as each ring represents a year of growth just like the rings in a tree trunk, and 4) the famous dinosaur in Jurassic Park is the T-rex (or Tyrannosaurus rex meaning Tyrant Lizard King). T-rex is Driggs’ favorite dinosaur so I had to get to know it by heart to please him: it has 2 legs and was 40 feet long. It’s jaws were up to 4 feet long and it’s teeth can grow up to 13 inches. It has a bumpy, crocodile-like skin, with arms 3-feet long and weight of 5 to 7 tons. It’s stride length is about 12 to 15 feet and it can run about 15 mph.

Still wondering, I asked Driggs during one of our family lunches “why do you like dinosaurs Driggs? they look frightful, ugly and mean to me. ” Without thinking, he replied, “because they are big, strong and powerful” — the exact extreme qualities of a small, frail and often helpless young boy or all the things that he is not (yet) but want to be. I got it. The dinosaur is Driggs’ or any little boy’s fantasy or make-believe self. Hearing Driggs words made me blush. My curiosity has been satisfied, my question has been answered.

Happy happy birthday Driggy boy! May you grow up with a big heart, with strong moral beliefs and the power from within yourself, from the Lord — a dinosaur in your own time.