# So, who wants to help me surprise my kid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 3, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267 "2012-01-03T17:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/21 "2012-01-05T21:36:02Z")
> [@Silver\_Fire](#): > > You guys are fantastic. Let’s see… what’s he interested in? Zombies. Planes. He has some postcards with jets on them signed by pilots from the last air show we went to hanging on his wall, right next to some big rig trading cards my dad used to give him sometimes so semis also. He likes the military (camo, tanks, military aircraft). He will NEVER ADMIT that he likes the Care Bears and watches the Big Wish movie with his little brother all the time. Animals, yes. Lego. Pirates. Star Wars (he likes the original movies better than the newer ones). Cars, esp. older cars and esp. older Mustangs. Scenery. He likes big cities at night. I have a postcard of the Strip at night and Lake Mead and he asks me all the time if he can have them. Oh well, I completely missed the mark and sent him a card with dogs on it and some animal stickers. At least animals were mentioned briefly lol ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/22 "2012-01-05T23:39:36Z")
Umm, stickers are ALWAYS awesome. I’m so excited, you guys! ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/23 "2012-01-06T00:08:34Z")
Way cool idea. PM sent. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/24 "2012-01-06T04:34:57Z")
Will go out in the mail tomorrow. Check your PM. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/25 "2012-01-06T04:38:34Z")
My postcard is on its way. ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/26 "2012-01-06T05:25:41Z")
Mine is in the mail as well. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/27 "2012-01-06T06:19:09Z")
Mine too. By the way, what the heck kind of event _was_ that anyway, in the photos? It looked awesome! I especially loved the (presumably) glow-in-the-dark finger puppets. Oh wow, he likes older mustangs? You didn’t mention that he was a genius! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/28 "2012-01-06T14:04:58Z")
That was Outbreak: Omega 4, the “zombie shoot”, an event sponsored by a local company called DPMS Panther Arms which manufactures AR-15s and accessories/parts. The event is geared toward adults who basically pretend that there were zombies and then they were contained and then containment was broken and now we’re all effed. Some guys go all out and dress in full military gear and get squads together and what not. Others just dress however, grab their weapons, and show up. Alex, as you saw, wore his Nerf tactical vest and lugged Nerf guns around all day. It’s a just for fun (i.e., non-scored) shooting competition and it is fantastic. At the end they have a pig roast, which was delicious, and beer and live entertainment and people camp but we didn’t. I brought Alex because… well, I thought he would think it was awesome. I was worried about bringing a kid to that sort of thing because it is an adult event and maybe these guys use it to get AWAY from their own kids, you know? But he was very well received. The DPMS guys were thrilled to have him and asked me to bring him back again this year, he got free stuff from vendors (t-shirts, zombie targets, patches, those finger puppets, whatever) just for being cool, just about everybody stopped to snap his picture at some point, he got 100,000 positive comments/thumbs up/whatever, he was photographed and interviewed by a magazine and a newspaper, and he won the “Best Dressed” competition (awarded by audience applause which was THUNDEROUS and ridiculous and it made me cry with incredible pride and happiness because he was so happy) which was awesome but cost me $300 because the prize was a gift certificate in that amount for DPMS which has absolutely nothing of value for a kid. It was one of the coolest days we’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/29 "2012-01-06T18:51:31Z")
FedEx just dropped off Alex’s first package, from Atlanta! ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/30 "2012-01-06T20:26:20Z")
PM sent. It’s too late for this year, but if he likes getting mail you might want to sign him up for next year’s [Christmas Cards for Doper Kids.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=632482) ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/31 "2012-01-06T20:50:23Z")
Somebody mentioned that in a PM. I can’t believe I missed it! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/32 "2012-01-06T21:02:48Z")
I can’t believe I missed it… FIVE TIMES. WTH? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/33 "2012-01-09T13:24:44Z")
Don’t forget to come back and tell us how he reacted. I just love hearing stories like that. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/34 "2012-01-09T18:30:46Z")
He came home that day and saw a package with his name on it and said, “Hey, what’s this? Who’s [sender]?” So I had to tell him what I’ve done. He got all excited, put up his “Rock on!” metal hands, and said “This is going to be AWESOME!” He really liked his first package. It had a typed note in it (typed, it was explained, because the sender’s handwriting is HORRIBLE!) that made him laugh. We got a box full of mail today and none of it is addressed to me, so today should be fun for him. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/35 "2012-01-09T21:44:56Z")
“Ooh, Seattle! That’s a pretty sunset, huh Mom?” “Hey! It says I can plant this and get FLOWERS!” “Mount St. Helens. Is that in California?” “No, it’s in Washington. The state, not D.C.” “Oh. Well, we should go there next summer. Look at this, Mom!” “Oh, haha. Look at these dinosaurs, Mom. That one’s eating a sign. And they crashed a car! I don’t think it’s a real picture though.” “Wow, this town looks old-timey. It’s got – hey, wait. There’s a guy hanging from that building.” “Uhh… he’s not real.” “Oh. Weird!” “(reading from a card) ‘My friend made this card…’ Whoa! She has a friend who made this card but it looks just like the kind you buy in a store. [rubs on the front of the card a bit] It says he’s an artist. He did a nice job! Oh, and she says hello to you, too, Mom.” “Aww!! It’s a little dog. No, wait. That’s a BIG dog! Oh, they’re so cute. We should have a dog, right Mom? Oh! And it has STICKERS!” His friend came knocking on the door because apparently Alex was supposed to come in off the bus just long enough to grab some cars to go play outside. The friend said, “Are you ready?” and Alex replied, “I need a couple minutes. I’m just going through my mail.” Bwahahaa. Thank you guys SO, SO much! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/36 "2012-01-09T22:18:01Z")
Ok, sweetest thing ever! ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/37 "2012-01-10T08:58:40Z")
Thanks! That absolutely made my day! (and it will make Keith’s day too, when I tell him.) ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/38 "2012-01-10T14:44:41Z")
Still one to come… I haven’t forgotten, just been unexpectedly busy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/39 "2012-01-10T14:52:05Z")
Can I send him my cable bill? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267/40 "2012-01-10T20:57:17Z")
Oh, I can see how that would go. “Hey, what’s this one? Oh, a bill. Mom, this one’s for YOU.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-wants-to-help-me-surprise-my-kid/608267.md?page=3)