Kids are often proud of their parents. There is one thing that makes my nine year old, particularly proud of her mother. Yes, her little heart swells with pride at her mother's ability to bleat. Yes. You heard right. And yes. I am sufficiently *palmfaced*.
Just today she proudly bragged about her mother's exceptional skill to six team members whilst working on a skit for a lego competition. Seven kids begged me to bleat for them. Sigh...
"Okay okay," I announced, "if you guys do your entire skit without interruptions, I will bleat for you" ahem... Trust me, just typing that out makes me want to never remove my palm from over my face again. Fact aside, that I actually kept my promise... Sigh...
Although I can never put this skill down on any resume, seven kids looked visibly impressed. Just for a brief moment, my net worth may have rocketed in their wide eyes.
"How can you even do that?" questioned one kid. "I don't know," I replied. "Lots of practice, I suppose." I told them briefly of one of my childhood homes which had an empty patch of land at the back with a well. Goats would come and graze there (this was not the countryside, just a random patch of land with a well in an urban area).
I spent a chunk of one summer vacation, on the wall between our house and the well, perfecting my bleat and scaring away the goats that came there to graze. Ahem... I tried the same with crows, but didn't quite perfect that one - the crows just got annoyed and flew away. The goats on the other hand, would look around, confused and bewildered. (I always wondered what I had just said to them in goat language - profanities possibly, for they always looked startled and displeased before they ran away.
Apart from the fact that I sufficiently embarrassed myself today, given that other parents heard me bleat (which is why I would post this here... Sigh...), it got me thinking about kids today.
Sure, the value of the things I focussed on are widely dubious. Whether is was bleating or whistling - not just tunes, but very ruffian-like - with my fingers in my mouth, by rolling the tongue - loud and shrill, and ruffian-worthy - oh well...
I doubt these skills have helped me in life - not to say that I am doing anything particularly noteworthy, but I suspect you may remember similar "skills" you may have developed in your childhood.
Just today she proudly bragged about her mother's exceptional skill to six team members whilst working on a skit for a lego competition. Seven kids begged me to bleat for them. Sigh...
"Okay okay," I announced, "if you guys do your entire skit without interruptions, I will bleat for you" ahem... Trust me, just typing that out makes me want to never remove my palm from over my face again. Fact aside, that I actually kept my promise... Sigh...
Although I can never put this skill down on any resume, seven kids looked visibly impressed. Just for a brief moment, my net worth may have rocketed in their wide eyes.
"How can you even do that?" questioned one kid. "I don't know," I replied. "Lots of practice, I suppose." I told them briefly of one of my childhood homes which had an empty patch of land at the back with a well. Goats would come and graze there (this was not the countryside, just a random patch of land with a well in an urban area).
I spent a chunk of one summer vacation, on the wall between our house and the well, perfecting my bleat and scaring away the goats that came there to graze. Ahem... I tried the same with crows, but didn't quite perfect that one - the crows just got annoyed and flew away. The goats on the other hand, would look around, confused and bewildered. (I always wondered what I had just said to them in goat language - profanities possibly, for they always looked startled and displeased before they ran away.
Apart from the fact that I sufficiently embarrassed myself today, given that other parents heard me bleat (which is why I would post this here... Sigh...), it got me thinking about kids today.
I wondered if any eight or nine year old would spend their time perfecting their bleat. I can't imagine any of them would have the time to do so. I want to question how busy we keep our kids (mine very much included). Everything they do is focussed. Everything they do serves some kind of purpose - music, sports, art, schoolwork... Everything they do, develops their personality, their interests - or so we imagine.
Sure, the value of the things I focussed on are widely dubious. Whether is was bleating or whistling - not just tunes, but very ruffian-like - with my fingers in my mouth, by rolling the tongue - loud and shrill, and ruffian-worthy - oh well...
I doubt these skills have helped me in life - not to say that I am doing anything particularly noteworthy, but I suspect you may remember similar "skills" you may have developed in your childhood.
Will our kids remember any such skills? Are we robbing them out of something intangible, something unexplainable by not giving them the free time to learn to ahem... Bleat? Oh well, bleating aside, I am referring to the tenacity to learn something entirely by themselves, without any instruction whatsoever, without any lesson, without any YouTube video, without any purpose... for no reason whatsoever...
Sure, my daughter is acquiring her own skill sets - moving around the wood floors by sliding on all fours, playing the guitar lying down on her back. But she often gets frowned upon for doing so. Yes. By the same mother who spent hours learning to bleat and scaring away poor goats.
Truly, where is the fairness in that?
Sent from my iPad
Sure, my daughter is acquiring her own skill sets - moving around the wood floors by sliding on all fours, playing the guitar lying down on her back. But she often gets frowned upon for doing so. Yes. By the same mother who spent hours learning to bleat and scaring away poor goats.
Truly, where is the fairness in that?
Sent from my iPad
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