Or I could talk about what was strange about the Disney visit, which is that Small has become so caught up in being a "big" kid that she's lost a little bit of the wonder she had last time we visited. It's funny, on the one hand she has no interest in talking to the princesses, who were her primary focus on our last trip, and she didn't want anyone to treat her like a baby, but on the other hand, we had an exchange about Mickey Mouse that showed me how little she still is.
Small said "How does he get that squeaky voice? I know this is just a man in a mouse suit."
I said, "I don't know, it looks like Mickey Mouse to me. And if it's just a man, how does he get that squeaky voice?"
(touché)
She said, "Mom. If it's really the real Mickey Mouse, why does his face look like it's made of wood or something?"
I said, "Because he's a cartoon."
And that was a satisfactory answer! It made perfect sense to her- if a cartoon comes to life, obviously it'll still have fake looking features. Case closed, mystery solved.
I grew up near Disney World, so on our way home I persuaded the Man to drive through my old neighborhood. Two things struck me: 1) there's been a lot of growth and 2) it still seems like a charming place. It was really a good place to grow up. I said as much to small, and she said, "But you don't like it when you are a grown up?"
What?
"You're saying it was a good place to grow up, but once you're a grown up, it's not such a good place? You don't like it as much?"
I told her that no, it didn't stop being a good place, and yes, I still liked it just as much. Hard to explain the twists and turns of life to someone who is seven years old. Even if she is a big kid.
No comments:
Post a Comment