Pax, Amor, et Lepos in Iocando

My son can't remember Reagan, and I can't stand it.

This, in and of itself, is not a surprise. He's four, so he was born, what?, nine years after The Gipper left office (72 dog years). We're learning the Presidents now--present to the past. He's a huge George W. fan. Something--who knows what--during the inaugural festivities caught his attention and ever since then, the kid's been ga-ga over Bush 43. So that one is a piece of cake. Then there's Clinton, "Bush's Daddy," and then a long pause. "I think it's, I think it's" and that's all I get. I feed him Reagan's name, and then it's "Carter, Ford, Nixon" no trouble. The kid can't come up with his name.

I even tried bribing him today, to see if it was just an act or a game. He didn't budge. He tried, but nothing.

It really bugs me. If it was Clinton that he couldn't remember, I'd give him a cookie every time he flubbed it. Carter, Ford, Nixon, etc. I'd work with him. But Ronald Reagan! Maybe this is Gen Xer self-involvement, maybe it's the mythic stature the man holds over conservatives and their allies, maybe it's just me.

My son can't remember Reagan, and I can't stand it.