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Okay… I admit. I’m really the one screwing up my kid with electricity, but it’s fun and he’s cute.
Magic!
Arthur C. Clarke is attributed with stating that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” But when you’re a toddler everything falls into the category of magic.
Like good parents we put up a Christmas tree for our 15 month old son and decked it out with ornaments and lights. Because I’m a pretty lazy guy when it comes to Christmas trees, I decided to put the lights onto a Clapper
The Clapper works just like it’s supposed to do: Clap a few times and the tree lights go on. Clap a few more times and they go off. My toddler son has watched us doing this for the past couple weeks and has quickly surmised that clapping turns on lights. He now runs around in public clapping madly in front of Christmas trees, regular trees and even the bushes that line the sidewalk. When nothing happens after a few moments he frowns and points and then moves on.
And while most people have just attributed this to him being a typical toddler, a few family members have pointedly asked why our son is running around applauding at house plants. “Oh, he just wants to turn them on,” we say.
The ceiling fan thing is a little more difficult to explain.
One night my son was pointing at the ceiling fan. I told him it was stuck, but if he blew on it like his pinwheel then it might work. He surprised the heck out of me by actually blowing upwards. As any good father would, I obliged my son by flicking on the electric switch on the wall and made the fan whirl for a moment. I thought we were just playing a game, but I was creating a monster.
Each morning we now have a ritual where we both run around the house and he blows at all the ceiling fans, making sure they are all turning. If I’m not near the switch at the moment he blows he frowns, shrugs and says, “Stuck.”
At least, I think that’s what he’s saying.
Is all this toddler behavior cute? You bet it is. Will it permanently scar him psychologically? Almost definitely.
I can’t wait for the day when I can be in the Oval Office as he strides across the presidential blue carpet, steps behind the most powerful desk in the world, sits in that big leather chair and starts clapping for the lights to turn on.
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5 Responses to “Electricity is Screwing Up My Kid”
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CaffiNation Paul says:
Wow tom 2 in one week?
This is brilliant. I see some of the same stuff in our kid. Paul now want to see me feed the fish right after we get home every day. He runs over to the gate yells until i let him into the basement the points and says fish. or ish
We also tried to teach him to say all done when he’s done eating as opposed to throwing the food and the floor and screaming. he now uses the all done whenever he’s bored, tired, irritated at whatever we have him doing. Walking through a store, mall driving. anything…
Good stuff keep it coming
January 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm -
Tom Coffee says:
Heh… We’re trying like crazy to get our little guy to do the “Done” thing, but so far he just throws anything that’s at hand…
He’s somehow linked the phrase “ya-ya” with sunlight or windows… We have yet to figure out where he got that from…
-Tom
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Bubbles says:
Yes, kids are always fun. Especially toddlers who are just sooooo curious
p.s Good luck for you to reach the “oval office” -
Jan Bay says:
The stage when little ones think everything works like magic is so precious! I know what you’re trying to say, I suffer from the guilt from promoting Santa to children displaying such wide eyed wonder and belief after each and every Christmas. I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to kick the habit because the guilt doesn’t outweigh the selfish fun of pretending with them.
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Greg says:
Funny. What I see is what my wife always tells me, “Be careful what you say to your daughter, she trusts you!”. Credit to you for being a believable dad!