As I said, I can see that I’m getting better at this motherhood thing, 5 ½ years into it, but I still get tripped up. The latest comedy was down in Great Aunt Mary’s pool with her grandson (11) and a bunch of his friends from across the bay.
The deep end was full of big kids, noodles, floaties, yelling. I was in the shallow end supervising my little life-jacketed darlings. I watched their fascinated gaze upon children doing cannonballs, pencil dives, and playing Marco Polo. Visions of future mischief danced across their little faces. Then, one of them found a little plastic dolphin, about the size of a small squirt gun.
“Fish,” said the little one.
“Dolphin,” I supplied.
“Do-fin,” she repeated.
I took it. A fine toy, a realistic dolphin. I squeezed its belly. The valve in its mouth was cleverly made so that the usual squeak was replaced by a realistic dolphin noise. By varying the pressure and duration of the squeeze, you can make it seem to speak. A veritable Flipper.
I showed the girls how to do it. The loved it.
The noise was earsplitting.
They were delighted.
As we left, I asked the little one to give the dolphin back.
“Oh no, I gave it to her. She can have it,” says the mother of the 11-year-old.
“Really? Thank you.” SQUEAK. SQUEAK. SQUEAK. “That noise sure is loud.”
Gotcha.
Maybe when I have an 11-year-old, I will be able to fob off the dolphin on the unsuspecting mother of young children with equal aplomb…
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2 comments:
Oh this made me laugh. When my son was little, my mother as a warning reminded me how a classmate once came over with a "present" for being invited to play. The present? In my mother's words: some sort of rat (a gerbil, actually, I think). I didn't fall for this trick, but did for plenty others. I was amazed at how long it took my smart child to figure out that when the batteries 'ran out' it was because I had placed them backwards when my noise tolerance had reached its limit. I know that every toy for boys squeeks, rings, flashes, blares, buzzes and/or howls. Guess it isn't gender-specific.
Appreciated your comment, btw, on my recent Obama post. That most of that map is of Indiana 5th Congressional district -- about as Republican as you can get -- is amazing. What is even more encouraging to me is how many people I know who are vocally speaking out about the war and the Bush admin policies and are vocal about not wanting McSame. Jan 20, 2009 can't get here soon enough!
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