Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention...
You know how in kindergarden during Thanksgiving time, the teachers would divide the class into Pilgrims and Indians, maybe even some kids got to be turkeys? You got to make construction paper costumes and parade around. Remember that? I think there's a picture of me somewhere dressed as a turkey...
Anyway, my wife and her best friend, our roommate, are both kindergarden teachers. They both plan on continuing this tradition with their classes. Of course, now, the kids will be divided into Pilgrims and Native Americans... They were talking about this, trading tips on the best way to make shopping bag vests, etc. while I was in the room...
I'm an asshole. I suggested they reenact it truthfully. They should have the Indians start out playing with lots of nice toys and stuff. Then, the Pilgrims wander in and beat up the Indian kids and take their toys. Then, all the Indian kids have to simulate the Reservations and go stand in the dirtiest part of the classroom where they can watch the Pilgrim kids eat the turkey kids.
Just thought I'd share. My wife and her friend thought it was a really bad idea too. Seriously, though: when do we stop bullshitting the kids? I want my son to have a sheltered childhood like any other parent would. Sure, evil shit is out there. The world is not all bunny rabbits and rainbows, but I'd rather wait to tell him about the toxic sludge and genocide. At least until he can reasonably deal with it. But what age is that?
Since we didn't chop off the end of his dingle, he's not getting a Bar Mitzvah, but maybe I'll wait till he's 12 or 13 anyway before I really begin to dissillusion him. That might be fun. I tried explaining DNA to him yesterday. He wanted to know why he had blue eyes... I told him he's got instructions inside all his little parts that tell his body how to make him. There's instructions to make two arms, each with a hand, each with five fingers, etc. Since I gave him half the instructions and Mommy gave him the other half, he must have gotten my eyeball instructions. I have no idea if he understood or remembers, but he's not a dimwit...
Maybe I'll just wait till he asks about stuff and then play it by ear.
Anyway, my wife and her best friend, our roommate, are both kindergarden teachers. They both plan on continuing this tradition with their classes. Of course, now, the kids will be divided into Pilgrims and Native Americans... They were talking about this, trading tips on the best way to make shopping bag vests, etc. while I was in the room...
I'm an asshole. I suggested they reenact it truthfully. They should have the Indians start out playing with lots of nice toys and stuff. Then, the Pilgrims wander in and beat up the Indian kids and take their toys. Then, all the Indian kids have to simulate the Reservations and go stand in the dirtiest part of the classroom where they can watch the Pilgrim kids eat the turkey kids.
Just thought I'd share. My wife and her friend thought it was a really bad idea too. Seriously, though: when do we stop bullshitting the kids? I want my son to have a sheltered childhood like any other parent would. Sure, evil shit is out there. The world is not all bunny rabbits and rainbows, but I'd rather wait to tell him about the toxic sludge and genocide. At least until he can reasonably deal with it. But what age is that?
Since we didn't chop off the end of his dingle, he's not getting a Bar Mitzvah, but maybe I'll wait till he's 12 or 13 anyway before I really begin to dissillusion him. That might be fun. I tried explaining DNA to him yesterday. He wanted to know why he had blue eyes... I told him he's got instructions inside all his little parts that tell his body how to make him. There's instructions to make two arms, each with a hand, each with five fingers, etc. Since I gave him half the instructions and Mommy gave him the other half, he must have gotten my eyeball instructions. I have no idea if he understood or remembers, but he's not a dimwit...
Maybe I'll just wait till he asks about stuff and then play it by ear.