Invasion!
A child is coming to this house.
Don't worry, it's not ours. She's our niece, a seven year old, who needs some sitting while her mom is occupied for the day. Since Husband works out of the house all day, I will be Chief Entertainer and Minder of the child. Which brings us to the topic of today's post: the adultness of our apartment.
This apartment is full of adult things. There are serious books without pictures (and some serious books with pictures, but they're boring pictures, like pictures of what a neuron looks like, or pictures of Freud's unsmiling head). There is a kitchen full of nutritious food, with nary a cookie nor a bag of chips to be seen. The bathrooms have no plastic fish, no bubbles that foam up blue, no colourful bathmats. There is an office full of miniatures, but while these may appear child appropriate to the uninitiated, let me say that any youthful interference with my figs will result in capital punishment. I say again: this apartment is full of adult things.
So what do I do with a small child all day? Don't bother suggesting we go out - it's a good idea but as a newly minted grad student the thought of several consecutive minutes spent away from my books causes me to break out into hives. I suspect I'll break down and we'll go across the street to the park for a while, but I can't commit to any time consuming (i.e., fun) events out of the house.
I'v asked her mom to send toys and movies along with her. Hopefully this will help her enjoy the day more than she would if all she had to do was watch my head bent over a coursepack all day.
Don't worry, it's not ours. She's our niece, a seven year old, who needs some sitting while her mom is occupied for the day. Since Husband works out of the house all day, I will be Chief Entertainer and Minder of the child. Which brings us to the topic of today's post: the adultness of our apartment.
This apartment is full of adult things. There are serious books without pictures (and some serious books with pictures, but they're boring pictures, like pictures of what a neuron looks like, or pictures of Freud's unsmiling head). There is a kitchen full of nutritious food, with nary a cookie nor a bag of chips to be seen. The bathrooms have no plastic fish, no bubbles that foam up blue, no colourful bathmats. There is an office full of miniatures, but while these may appear child appropriate to the uninitiated, let me say that any youthful interference with my figs will result in capital punishment. I say again: this apartment is full of adult things.
So what do I do with a small child all day? Don't bother suggesting we go out - it's a good idea but as a newly minted grad student the thought of several consecutive minutes spent away from my books causes me to break out into hives. I suspect I'll break down and we'll go across the street to the park for a while, but I can't commit to any time consuming (i.e., fun) events out of the house.
I'v asked her mom to send toys and movies along with her. Hopefully this will help her enjoy the day more than she would if all she had to do was watch my head bent over a coursepack all day.