Stars in His Eyes

           (Shhhh ... Quiet on the Set!)

If you send your child to a free (remember how we love that word) two-day workshop at the Apple Store, and he learns to use iMovie, you may unleash a monster.

He may spend hours on the computer writing a script entitled "Attack of the Nerf Marauders," prominently featuring various Nerf weapons.

You may remember that by jingo, your very own next door neighbor is not only a tenured professor of screenwriting at UT, but also a person who has had several scripts snapped up by the hungry Hollywood beast. (Same neighbor also went to Harvard with, and wrote for the school newspaper with, Peter Sagal from WaitWait Don't Tell Me! How cool is that?!)

That neighbor may agree to look over your son's script to give him some pointers. He may also send your son the screenplays of various movies such as Shrek Three and Ratatouille, so your son can see how the big boys do things.

You may start to wonder whether it would be appropriate to bake your neighbor a Gratitude cake.

Your child may begin rounding up his buddies and neighbors, even pestering the more reluctant ones out of their ever-lovin' minds until they agree to join the cast.

You may get into a long, thought-provoking discussion with your son's friend about violence in movies.

You may start to plot how to eliminate some of the less comely parts of your home from the cinematography of your child's film. You may fail.

Your child may make big plans to post his video on YouTube and tell everyone from his great grandparents to the grocery store cashier how to find it.

Then he may announce that he "used to want to be a scientist, but it's turning out that I'm more of a filmmaker."

You may respond by filling his head with dreams of IMAX movie-making. You could even let him listen to James Cameron's TED talk about how his early fascination with science fed his later film-making genius -- even though you don't let your child watch Mr. Cameron's films.

You may conclude that as you strew opportunities along your children's path, you can never quite predict where the spark of passion will light.

And that knowledge may comfort you as you find the eighty-fourth nerf dart of the day lying on your path.

Maybe.