Raising Roan

For a kid like Roan, this is better than Santa Clause (in fact, he was afraid of Sir Topham Hat the way many kids are afraid of Santa Clause). However, because he was SO excited and wanted to do everything 450mph, it ended up being a somewhat painful experience for him as he was continually frustrated by our efforts to contain his wild Thomas frenzy. He wanted to run in all directions at once, and he threatened to hit, grab, shove, or throw a stone at any child who got in his way. Waiting in line for his turn at anything was a downright existential crisis. And of course with everything, he wants to “do it self,” so trying to help him only further thwarts his self will run riot. So, we may have underestimated all the struggling we were in for, but in spite of it all, it was a great experience, and we were amazed and impressed with the vast world and enterprise of Thomas fans and marketers. Roan was one of throngs of children geared up in their Thomas hats and t-shirts, pouring in from a gigantic parking lot in old industrial Baltimore. If only the Rev. could see the scale of investment, preservation, fun and creativity that has spawned from his original stories, we think it would blow his mind.