Kites Are Skittish Things

While at home today with my son, he put in a DVD to watch. He chose to watch Mary Poppins. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love Mary Poppins. There are so many magical things about it and many lessons to be learned. Like finding the good things in a bad situation. Like taking a spoon full of sugar with our medicine, or finding enjoyment in each task we undertake. But the thing that stood out to me on today's viewing, was when Jane and Michael Banks return home without their nanny with them. They had been chasing their kite that they had made themselves. When escorted home by a local constable, their father is quick to admonish his children without listening to the reason they are late. The constable tries to communicate with the children's father and suggests that he construct a new kite with his children.
I got a mental image of me sitting down with my son and building kites of our own. My own father was much too busy to ever fly a kite with me let alone build one.
I do remember however having several kites during my childhood. All store bought kites, still I loved to fly them. I do remember one occasion that wasn't so nice however. I had one of those bat kites that are all black and have the bloodshot eye decals that you place on the kite yourself and it had a single rod that went across the back of the kite. It resembled a child's version of a stealth fighter. Well, I was up at the local schoolyard flying my kite when this old guy came by in a motorized wheelchair. We talked for a bit about flying kites and he encouraged me to let some more line out. I was always afraid of loosing my kites or having the string break, but he insisted my kite would be just fine. I had gotten one of those kite spools that you can just push a trigger to let line our and it had a crank to bring the line back in. And I think it had like 750 feet of line on it or something like that. So, I let the line out. And out, and out and out. My black bat kite was nearly a speck high in the sky. And while the thrill of having my kite so far up in the sky, somehow I knew that I would never bring it back in. Then the man left. Just wheeled. I then realized it was a mean, horrible trick. As I started to crank back in the line, my kite seemed like it refused to come back down. It had experienced a new freedom and would not be an Earthbound creature ever again. I strained against the tension on my line. Little by little I would crank the line back into my spool. After a few minutes or so it happened. SNAP! My line broke and the kite disappeared forever. Almost as if flying away by a will of it's own. I started yelling and screaming at the man who was just now about to turn the corner and head down the sidewalk to go play more pranks on unwilling children. And as I stood there and cried about my lost bat kite, I think he was snickering to himself as he wheeled away. Wretched man.
Those days are gone, but memories are a wonderful thing. They allow us to revisit anywhere in our lives. I want to give my son some great memories. And I believe one of them will be this spring, when we build a kite together and go fly it together. But, if I only let him take it say 50 feet or so in the air, I wonder if he will understand. Kites are skittish things.
Let's go fly a kite.