Baby W will miss out on the King of Pop

Mr. W couldn't care much less about Michael Jackson, but Mrs. W grew up wanting to be able to dance like him. The only 2 albums(and I mean LPs, another thing Baby W will never get to experience) that I remember wearing out by playing them a million and ten times as a kid were Thriller and the Grease soundtrack. Grease got set aside when Thriller came out, and I remember my mom making me a glove with sequins on it so I could pretend I was half as cool as MJ.

Mr. W, Grandpa, and Uncle Eric are not nearly as sad about this loss as Mommy and Aunt Beth. I think maybe I also find it to be sad because Elvis died when I was only a year old, so I don't remember ever getting to watch him live. I do, however, vividly recall watching MJ perform Billie Jean on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special. I also very much recall watching him sweep the Grammys in 1984.

Now, granted, Michael Jackson has been out of the spotlight for several years but even the videos of him dancing and rehearsing the day before he died still scream "I demand your complete attention". I tried to argue his greatness to no avail with Mr. W, only to finally explain to him that Michael Jackson will always be ten thousand times more talented and entertaining to me than Pete Rose. This didn't make him agree with me, but it finally shut him up and allowed me to watch the memorials and videos of him in peace without additional Mr. W commentary.

This all goes back to my biggest wish for my son. He can be a carbon copy of his father, and if he takes nothing else from me, please just let it be my taste in music.

While Mr. W is not around, I plan on playing Thriller and Off the Wall and all the great Jackson 5 hits for my baby. In fact, he was jumping around to "Bad" when it was on the tv just a few minutes ago. I bet you I might even be able to find a little sparkly glove for him online if I look hard enough.

I know there are a lot of people who think he was a horrible person and a criminal because of the charges brought against him. I can't argue much with those people except for that he was never found guilty. People can say what they want, but many many celebrities have been and continue to be found guilty of crimes they commit. I do agree he was guilty of being odd. There is no question there, but to some extent the media and the fans made him into what he was. Most of us can never even fathom the idea of not being able to cross the street or even use a public restroom without being escorted by security. In honesty, everyone I can think of who does know that kind of fame seems a little weird in one way or another. This guy lived his entire life like that. Not from the time he was 20, or even 15. He developed his personality under a microscope of cameras from every angle.

I think the big question I have now for Baby W is, who will be his Michael Jackson, or his Elvis?

I just can't think of anyone out there that can fill that type of void.

Anyone who thinks it will be one of those kids from High School Musical need not reply.