One more Thanksgiving moment (since other people talk about kids and Thanksgiving) - our Thanksgiving was enlivened, as usual, by the presence of The Most Adorable Nephew in the Universe. He's 4, going on 5, and he is a bundle of energy and usually very well behaved (for a 4 year old). And he spent the time before dinner playing with a Lego blocks set that my Mother keeps for him at her house.
Using the blocks he made a series of machines - a machine to take away our minds, and then a machine to put them back, a machine that turned us into pie, a machine to make you super strong (which he used on himself, so he could pick each of us up - so we had a role to play in that, too). You get the idea.
Watching him come up with these machines - and other precariously built structures - we were all surprised, and amused and enchanted. But of course all good things have to come to an end, and my nephew was beside himself when he found out that the machines had to be taken apart and put away. He began crying and throwing a tantrum (he's a very good performer; unfortunately, he comes from a line of expert performers, so frankly his tantrums are nothing I or my sister - his mother - have not already tried ourselves. We're a tough crowd). He tried to bargain - and I tried to help - by asking that we just save one machine (the mind stealing one, I believe).
But to no avail. And so he wailed, "But if I take them apart they will be gone and I will never get them back."
And we all stopped for a moment, because it was true... and a whole metaphor for childhood, if you ask me. I now understand why we hate to see kids grow up - it's such a joy to see the imagination given free reign, and like soap bubbles, you can't keep the machine that turns everyone into pie. You have to take it apart and put it away. And then it's gone.
You turned a child's temper tantrum into a metaphor for the tragedy of growing up. Let me just take a moment and say I am extremely impressed, because the second a tantrum begins, I get aggravated and then realize how grateful I am to NOT have children of my own, then I walk away and don't give it another thought (beyond, "I'm glad to be away from that damn kid").
Posted by: Kate | November 29, 2006 at 04:18 PM
I liked it -- the story.
Meyer
Typed by Grandma
Posted by: Meyer | November 29, 2006 at 04:22 PM
No offense to Meyer, but sometimes I get the giggles when little kids have tantrums. Life isn't even hard yet. Not to be confused, of course, with "I'll give you something to cry about!"
Posted by: jinbaltimore | November 30, 2006 at 07:49 AM