Being Mad
There are times I forget my children are not adults.
Recently, Lola and I are reading another Arthur story, one about Arthur buying a Treat Timer for his dog, Pal, after Arthur has been bombarded by media hype about the Treat Timer. He's seen it on TV! He's seen it on billboards! He's heard the commercials on the radio! Arthur knows all about the TT and has decided Pal must have one. So the book goes on to describe how he raises the money to get one, buys it, puts it together with his parents [which takes 5 hours], and what happens next.
So what happens next? Arthur turns it on and it shoots out treats like little missiles - at the dog of course. Pal runs for cover. Arthur, apparently stunned, goes to his room to sulk.
At this point in the story, I ask Lola what she thinks Arthur must be feeling. I ask, "Do you think he is feeling upset?"
"Yeah."
"I bet he's kind of mad, too," I add.
"Well yeah." Long pause. She looks at me like I should say something.
Confirming the adult sense of outrage at the commercial, corporate model of it all, I guess that "I would be too if I bought something with money that was so hard to earn and then it didn't even work!"
She looks at me like I sprouted another set of ears. "Well, Pal ran away."
Pause.
I finally get where she is at, remember she is only 6, and add, "And Arthur went to all that trouble to set up the Treat Timer, and Pal ran away."
"Yeah, he didn't even eat them!"
Click.
"I see. Arthur went to all that trouble for Pal, as a gift, but Pal didn't even like it! How mad Arthur must have been!"
"Yeah, at Pal!"
Short pause to regroup.
"It does hurt when someone you care about doesn't even seem to want your gift, doesn't it. Poor Arthur. he must have been very disappointed and upset."
Which led to a short discussion about people we know who don't like gifts we've given them. And then we could move on to finish the story.
As much as I really hate the Arthur books, I loved this interaction with my daughter.
Recently, Lola and I are reading another Arthur story, one about Arthur buying a Treat Timer for his dog, Pal, after Arthur has been bombarded by media hype about the Treat Timer. He's seen it on TV! He's seen it on billboards! He's heard the commercials on the radio! Arthur knows all about the TT and has decided Pal must have one. So the book goes on to describe how he raises the money to get one, buys it, puts it together with his parents [which takes 5 hours], and what happens next.
So what happens next? Arthur turns it on and it shoots out treats like little missiles - at the dog of course. Pal runs for cover. Arthur, apparently stunned, goes to his room to sulk.
At this point in the story, I ask Lola what she thinks Arthur must be feeling. I ask, "Do you think he is feeling upset?"
"Yeah."
"I bet he's kind of mad, too," I add.
"Well yeah." Long pause. She looks at me like I should say something.
Confirming the adult sense of outrage at the commercial, corporate model of it all, I guess that "I would be too if I bought something with money that was so hard to earn and then it didn't even work!"
She looks at me like I sprouted another set of ears. "Well, Pal ran away."
Pause.
I finally get where she is at, remember she is only 6, and add, "And Arthur went to all that trouble to set up the Treat Timer, and Pal ran away."
"Yeah, he didn't even eat them!"
Click.
"I see. Arthur went to all that trouble for Pal, as a gift, but Pal didn't even like it! How mad Arthur must have been!"
"Yeah, at Pal!"
Short pause to regroup.
"It does hurt when someone you care about doesn't even seem to want your gift, doesn't it. Poor Arthur. he must have been very disappointed and upset."
Which led to a short discussion about people we know who don't like gifts we've given them. And then we could move on to finish the story.
As much as I really hate the Arthur books, I loved this interaction with my daughter.
posted by Skim @ 9:32 PM
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