Parenting Pre-cursors and Prolonged Prologues: Mission Prepping

Backing up the Mission: "Good morning Mr. Phelps" the "Voice on the Tape", otherwise known as Bob Johnson, greeted the listener, set them at ease prior to introducing the true nature of "The Mission", and its full contents, an attempt to get him to "Sign on", or to lure him in, prepare him mentally. And what I should probably have done here on your behalf prior to launching you...backing up the mission before setting forth on this quest (of Parenting!, that is), and otherwise letting you know who is backing you up. This, in contrast to that on the tape, that ends with a somewhat ominous "...and if you or any of your IMF members...the secretary will disavow any knowledge..." Instead, I am offering you plenty of back-up, as well as a nice back-drop, including the voice of Bob himself, whose voice was also featured in "Outer Limits" and "Star Trek", two shows that families used to watch together in the same room, at the same time, on the same TV. A-h-h-h, togetherness! And, even before we heard and simultaneously witnessed Mr. Phelps in turn listening to "The Tape", way before "Mission Impossible" was conceived, we had (and still to this day, have in archive form)...

Voices of Yester-Ear: Eons before WE tuned in each week to hear the unmistakable voice of Bob Johnson, whose message has now morphed into a meme, the "Golden Age of Radio" generations gathered around a piece of furniture cental to their evening gatherings, where with rapt attention, after some messages inviting them in, letting them know the "show was about to begin", followed with intermittent messaging, precursors to those we now see as side bars on social media sites, like "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine" (see "A Christmas Story", a message Ralphie decoded while sitting where else?), on shows like "Little Orphan Annie", "Green Hornet", "Abbott and Costello" and a legion of others, many of which are starting to get re-appreciated for their pure artistry, simplicity, appeal to our imaginations (versus the 'gratuitousness' of today's stuff). Shows where, once again, every body had to be in the same place at the same time, as there were no 'do-overs', way-y-y before cassettes, video players, DVR's, "watch it on your watch" were conceived, let alone mass produced. They, the folks that enjoyed such simplicity and each others company (?), even at these earliest of "voice overs", were also subjected to...

Prolonged Prologues: Such as what you are experiencing right now, assuming you have not clicked off..."the piece of writing at the beginning of a work, a drama (such as parenting!), designed to capture our attention, engage our imaginations..." (like the back of a paperback book), perhaps designed to ultimately gain our vote, even open our pocketbook (Infomercials have some of the best). Not quite the same, but sometimes working in tandem with...

Pre-Cursors: Such as a person or thing (a pointer prior to a "mouse in the house") that comes before another, of the same kind...a forerunner. In this case, as part of our back-up, our forefathers (and mothers, of course!) -- those that tried in earnest to lend us their collective experience, voices and messages through the ages: "I'll lend you my experience; if you want to call it wisdom, that's up to you". Prepping Us, giving us plenty of back-up, a historical back-drop...

Messaging Mission: That which lies ahead, the mission they could not have fully conceived of, but hinted at often. One which travels through time (as in "Time Machine", another early radio broadcast, now available via podcast 😎) and takes Us from such messages as "Don't touch that dial" on through "Be sure to drink..." and arriving at "Just click here, put the thing you want in your mother's cart, on her card...just use the cursor..." My, how things have changed. The messages, the Mission, Impossible (?)...

Continue the Mission with me, here, at the same place, "Mission Central". Where You name the time...