Monday, June 05, 2006

NFTV: The Letters on a Pirate Hat

When my son was five, he was the Letter Man. He wouldn’t wear any shirt that didn’t have letters on it. In computer talk it, it was the gating factor. Letters, he’d wear it. No letters he would not. End of story. No argument. He had his standards.

His Kindergarten teacher had planned a great day−a day that all kids dream of. It would be Pirate Day. All of the kids would get to be pirates. They would learn about pirate ships. maps, and pirate words. They would eat pirate food−some sort of blueberry dump. They would dress as pirates and search for treasure. They made pirate hats and scary eye patches. At the end of the day, they wore them and went treasure hunting.

When my son came home from school that afternoon, I had to ask about the pirate hat that he had made.

“I see you have a lovely pirate hat.”
“Yes.”
“I see that it has no letters.”
“Yes.”
“Did you wear it when you went looking for pirate treasure:”
“No.”
“I see. Did the other kids wear pirate hats?”
“All of them.”
“Well, pirates do wear pirate hats. I'm wondering how you decided not to?”

That's when he shared his logic with me.

“I thinked about it and my think said, ‘Are there letters on this pirate hat?’ My think said, ‘No.’ So I decided not to.”

I had my answer.
−me strauss Letting me be

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If only the world could think more like a child sometimes, huh?
No complications, just a simple decision. Love it.

~m

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Michael,
I just thinked about what you just said and my think said that you are right. My think is working pretty good today, I think. :P

Anonymous said...

Adorable.

Life could be that easy if we let it. Don't you think?

:D

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Jennifer,
I agree. I thought about it and my think said that life didn't get more complicated. We did. Isn't that a think. Huh!

Anonymous said...

I think y'all have it spot on. The society teaches us to unneccesarily complicate our lives.

If we could just go through life with the faith of children, wouldn't it all be cool.

Now that's what I think.

Anonymous said...

I also thinked a lot when I read what your son said, and my think said, "Good for you!"

If only all of us didn't pay so much attention to what's in fashion...

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Thanks luminus, for stopping by to share you "think." I agree with you. I've always been a little at odds with society myself. That might be where he gets it from. :P

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Melly,
I thinked about your think and my think said that your think was right on. You're a good thinker. *she giggles*

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh ... a child teaching the adults that principles count, even at the most basic level ... deciding whether or not to wear a pirate hat!

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Mouse,
This child always had his own set of rules for life. We had to learn them from him. No question about that. He was born without the fear of authority gene.