"Out of the Mouth of Babes"

Last weekend my wife and I traveled to Moultrie, Georgia for the annual "dance recital" in which our granddaughter Genna participates. The recital was actually in Cairo, Georgia but we went to my son Sean's house and rode the rest of the way with him and our grandson Walker. Genna and her mother Paula had gone on ahead.

Terry had brought flowers to be presented to Genna and a coloring book and crayons for Walker. She thought he might want to use them while watching the performances as they tend to drag on and on and on. When we all got into Sean's car and started out Walker turned to me and said, I" didn't like the present. I don't know how to color good."

Walker is four and has been encouraged to speak his mind. Sean and Paula do not spank their children so they are always telling them to use their words. Instead of hitting his sisters he is encouraged to tell her to stop doing what she is doing or to go away. This makes for very verbal children but one's that don't hit each other a lot.

Later at the recital Walker did take out the coloring book and colors and with his Nana's help did a pretty good job of coloring. I almost started coloring myself. This was another one of those three and a half hour dance recitals - and that is way too long in my book. Genna was actually only in two numbers but they were spaced out accordingly so that you virtually had to be there for the entire thing.

Sean did try to get her to leave after her last number but she said she couldn't miss the curtain call. "They have brainwashed my daughter," he said. I tended to agree with this since she was on the back row when the curtain calls were made and could barely be seen. I thought they would parade all of them down front for a wave to the audience/parents. But no, the big kids blocked every one of the smaller ones.

Afterwards we waited for Paula to go backstage and get Genna. When they came outside Genna was madder than a wet hen. "What's the problem?" I asked her.

"Mama gave me the worst present possible," she answered. "She gave me this" and with that she held up a beautiful hairbrush with sparkles on the back. "I hate hairbrushes," she added.

In truth Genna has beautiful red hair but she also has a sensitive scalp and doesn't like having her hair brushed. I assume Paula was trying to encourage more hairbrushing by giving her the jeweled one.

When we got back to Moultrie, Genna was still in a funk and was sent to her room. At six years old she does tend to get a little dramatic. She did manage to tearfully thank us for the flowers. I guess they were okay, but she was still having problems with that brush.

On the way back home my wife and I were talking about her saying how much she didn't like the present. We decided it was good she was honest about it. My wife said she was the type of person growing up who would never have said she disliked anything her parents bought for her. But she did admit there were some gifts that she really didn't like. I, on the other hand, usually said what I thought and let the chips fall where they might.

Now that we know about hairbrushes and coloring books we will avoid them in the future as gifts for Genna and Walker. We will respect their likes and dislikes. I don't advocate children being rude, but I am a supporter of their being honest. 

We may not like the honest reactions we get, but we will be all the wiser for it.

 

 

 

 

 

©2006 Jackie K. Cooper

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