If you were a child of the 70's as I was, you will remember having watched Star Wars in the movie theater. In fact, it was the first non-matinee film I ever saw. I was eight years old and scared to death. The sound of Darth Vader's breathing brought me to the edge of my seat. Hiding behind the tub of popcorn, I tried hard not to shake.

Pfffffffffffffufffff. Pfffffffffuffff.

It is a sound from my childhood which has stayed with me all these years. Like the boogey man or a really scary roller coaster ride, that feeling of fear never really leaves our bones completely.

The other day, my children astounded me with their good manners. As a reward, I offered to take them to a nearby toy store. Sophia selected a box of colored pencils, and Jackson, my three-year-old, chose a diver's mask and
snorkel.

We immediately opened our purchases in the car.

Speeding along the corn and hops fields, we could feel the breeze in our faces and the sense of ease that a new toy brings to the backseat of our car. When we got home, I merrily typed away on an article while my kids busied themselves with their new playthings.

Then, from outside my office, I heard it. Pfffffffffffffufffff.
Pfffffffffuffff.

A looming black figure shimmered through the glass partition in the door. At least, it looked black. Or maybe it was really milky white.

Pfffffffffffffufffff. Pfffffffffuffff.

I froze, the keyboard muted, my fingers hovering over the letters as if to protect the alphabet from the Evil Empire.

"Darth, is that you?" I whispered, hoarse with fear. The door crept open. Standing in the doorframe was my son, completely naked, with a rainbow underwater mask and snorkel in his mouth. Despite the pressure on his face, I swear I could see him smile.



Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff (2003) and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe (2005), is a frequent guest on NPR. When she isn't writing, leading
intensive seminars or wiping up messes, she prefers to frolic in the Bavarian countryside near Munich where she lives with her husband and two children. Visit her Web site: www.DiaryofaMother.com.