Braden's Fan Letter

Last fall, Braden was bored during the littles' naptime, and so we turned the tv on and tried to find something to watch. We stumbled upon a rerun of "America's Funniest Home Videos." Braden was instantly mesmerized by the show and it quickly became his favorite.

This is a show that neither M. nor I particularly like, primarily because of the voice-over narrations and the segues between videos. But Braden loved every aspect of it. The AFV hour became his favorite hour of the day, and it was a great incentive for making sure his schoolwork was completed on time.

In November, I think, Braden decided he wanted to write the host, Tom Bergeron, a letter. He drafted a simple letter to Mr. Bergeron telling him how much he liked the show, and funny he thought Mr. Bergeron was, and how he thought Mr. Bergeron was the perfect man to host the show. We sent the letter off, and he was sure he'd recieve a letter or a phone call from Mr. Bergeron within a week or two.

Well, by December, we'd had a conversation about fan mail, and how the show probably receives so much mail they can't answer every letter. But the shows always love hearing from fans. He seemed placated by that and hadn't really mentioned the letter since then.

Fast forward to yesterday, when Braden recieved a letter in the mail from..... yup... Mr. Bergeron. (Well, his secretary, anyway.) Braden was beside himself with excitement, both about the letter and the autographed photo that was included.

I was impressed (and touched) by the personal attention shown Braden by Vin di Bona Productions. As I read the letter, I realized that they had sent him a personal letter, not a pre-printed form letter. They commented on specific things Braden had written, something a form letter couldn't do. They took care to cut up a manilla folder to make a sleeve for the photo so that it wouldn't get bent or damaged in shipping.

During the boys naptime I called Vin di Bona Productions and tracked down the secretary who sent the letter. They must not get much fan mail, because they had to ask around to see who handled it. When I finally got in touch with the correct person, I introduced myself by saying, "I'm Hillary _______. My son Braden wrote Mr. Bergeron a fan letter last fall."

The secretary remembered his name. "Yes! " she cried, "I remember that. We just sent out a reply last week!" She went on to apologize for taking so long to respond. They get so much mail, though, that it takes a long time to sort through it all.

I was again stunned... and touched... by the fact that she'd remembered him. Their show is based entirely on submissions sent in the mail. They receive letters and tapes from all over the world. But she was able to remember his letter.

We went on to chat a little while, and before we hung up she told me to let Braden know that they were filming the first episode of the new season this week, and that it would air on October 2nd. He was thrilled with that bit of "inside information."

We dashed off to the store last night, and the photo now sits in a beautiful 8x10 frame on his dresser. He can't help smiling when he looks at it.

And neither can I.