Monday, January 17, 2011

Angry Artist?

Does this look like the face of a maladjusted artist? One never knows....

When my sister, Michelle, sent this story in an email a couple of years ago, I knew I had to ask her to allow me to share it. Enjoy today's "Guest Post"....

I was reading 7-year-old Caden's poems that he brought home from school today; adorable poems about Star Wars, ice cream, furry dogs, loving his mom, and bald eagles. Imagine how the proud smile disappeared from my face when I saw this drawing of an angry man:



My son is in first grade!! I was completely shocked, as he is the kind of boy whose worst "f-word" is FART! That man is flipping the bird!?!

And did you notice how the hand has black scribbled over it? OMG! My shock soon turned to embarassment as I imagined his teacher seeing that horrible finger and covering it up with pencil before sending it home. Then, I was even more upset; why didn't the teacher call me to tell me he had drawn such a thing?

I tried to remain calm. I approached Caden with a tone I couldn't fully supress, "Caden, what is this? Please explain this to me."

"The man was watching a show about bald eagles on TV. He REALLY loves bald eagles. The show ended, and he got MAD. He yells RRRrrrrrr, and he has the remote. He shut the TV off, and it went Beep! off, and he stomped away."

Based upon my incorrect interpretation, I can now infer that I am either losing faith in Caden's purity or I just have a completely foul mind. (Either one is not appealing.) Now I just hope that his teacher asked him the same questions that I did. I'm guessing that since the principal hasn't called, all is well. For now...


[originally posted April 25, 2008]

16 comments:

  1. Oh, that is too funny! So glad your nephew still has his innocence! :D

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  2. that is funny!! i think we as adults often interpret children's behaviors through out mature lenses. now, sometimes kids see things they should not, process it improperly and blab about it all over creation! i enjoy listening to my children explain things and often chuckle at what they have come away with!!

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  3. My 6th grader's teacher emailed me a few months ago, with his Powerpoint of poetry attached, and indicated in her notes that she was a tiny bit concerned about all the "angry inferno of rage" and "intense anger" mentions he had in the poetry.

    I called the school counselor and was very concerned. This is my easy going child, the one I never worry about. Did I miss major clues? Did I ignore his needs while managing his older brother's needs?

    The counselor went down to his classroom, pulled him out of class for a moment and shared with him that I was concerned about him, and asked him if he knew why he was so angry.

    Imagine my relief when he grinned and told her that his home life is fine. He's usually happy, but he feels that way when kids in his class won't do what they're supposed to do and it makes them late for recess.

    Ah..poetry, it has the potential to clarify life's deepest emotions!

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  4. Hilarious! Too funny! When my sweet daughter was in 2nd grade, her teacher was Miss Rich. They were learning how to write poems. My daughter's contribution?

    I love Miss Rich.
    She doesn't bitch.
    She's nice and kind.
    She isn't blind.

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  5. This totally cracked me up. Kids are so awesome.

    xo

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  6. I think it's cool!

    I drew as a kid. If it didn't depict an act of violence, I wasn't the artist!

    Guns, wars, guts. It doesn't mean anything -- just that you're a boy.

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  7. Love the innocence of children! Funny story, nice to read :)
    kim

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  8. I'm so glad you shared this story! Thanks! It brought a smile to my face. It also showed how adults and children interpret things so differently!

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  9. Oh girl, this is priceless!!! Ya just never know with children, do ya??? Heeehehehe!

    God bless you day sweetie!!! :o)

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  10. Oh that is just too funny! So sweet too.

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  11. What a cute story! Even as a kindergarten teacher I can get jaded and assume the worst. MOST of their writing is innocent and gives us all a chuckle. Thanks to you and Michelle for sharing.

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  12. That is hilarious and my mind would have gone to the exact same place!

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  13. This was so cute. I would have thought the same thing! "beep/off" that made me laugh out loud!!

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