Friday, May 28, 2010

That Kid

When Shef was littler, I always resented the kids who encouraged him to play guns or robbers or pirates or pretty much anything beyond astronauts or peaceful organic farmers of the 70s. I'd roll my eyes and separate him from the hooligans who taught him butt jokes or fart imitation.

Those kids were really annoying, disruptive, and obviously poorly supervised.

Those kids, I realize now looking back on it almost always had older brothers. Maybe sort of significantly older. Say four years or so, maybe a few months more.

Last night when Mac took the pencil from the kids' bag at Davanni's Pizza, held it in my face and said, "I whiw kihw you," I suddenly felt a lot more empathy for the parents of those violent little storm troopers, old enough for pencil light sabers but still unable to pronounce r's and l's.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Life's experiences teach us many lessons including this one....so funny and so true.

LH said...

In my experience, (IME) Many of the littles with older sibs have weirdly advanced world views (wawv).

happy memorial day weekend!

Gina Marie said...

... Crying picturing that in my head. Also, thinking I might want Davanni's today.

Happy LONG weekend!

Jill said...

If you haven't read The War Play Dilemma, do. You know, in your spare time.

-Jill F

Martha Pettee said...

This reminds me of the time a mother of one of Mary's friends called me and indignantly said, "Do you know that Mary Margaret knows what a WHORE is?" "Yes, I knew that," I replied. "Well, she is telling other kindergartners about WHORES. I don't want my child knowing about whores." How does one answer that? Neither do I? But she has two older brothers and the dinner table is a veritable feast of inappropriate information for 6-year-olds. Turns out some of those girls might have benefitted from the information. But I was constantly embarrassed about her precociousness.

KC said...

wow! five comments!! this blog doesn't have the setting that tells me when i get a comment, so it's like a big surprise when i come here. i kind of like it!

jill, i haven't read the war play dilemma, but i read that newkirk book that tim lensmire likes... what's it called? misreading masculinity, i think.

Jill said...

Misreading Masculinity is a good one too, but War Play Dilemma is about parenting/ caring for little boys, rather than literacy and school.