Babysitting session 12/11/12, 5-7:15pm
There are several teams.
The teams you judged weakest will be fighting first. The first round consists of 1 “Abdominal”/ AbominaBable Snowman who came as part of a Lego set, a single white baby Tiger and a series of 8 Elephants on keychains, each painted slightly differently. The Elephants form a circular blockade, all facing inwards, around the Tiger, who is their King. The Snowman is the strongest and is generally sent out to do the gruntwork. The Elephants and Tiger came from their perch on my windowsill. I think this game started when you asked me what animal I could be if I could be any animal at all. I said a horse, and you seemed disappointed. You said a White Tiger and I told you to close your eyes while I ran to get it and make it appear magically before your very eyes, when they opened again.
The team they are fighting includes a Bear, a Rhinoceros (song:" I want a hippopotamus for xmas"!) and a Lion, all made out of paper cardboard cutouts which fit into slots to create a 3D effect. You have colored the bear brown, but I see that his feet are on backwards, so I take his sides off and now he looks like he is wearing a funny coat.
The animals take turns fighting the Snowman, and since you are in charge of the Snowman team, the Snowman will end up always being stronger. Today’s fight seems to take awhile. The Elephants begin to get restless and joke with each other about how dull the fight is. One animal gets knocked into the couch, and because of his small stature, takes an absurd amount of time to reach the cushion. 60,000 years later, while the flying cry is still being heard, a large bouncing sound is heard. The Elephants begin to reminisce about stories they had heard from their great-great-grand elephant fathers about the legendary fight between the Snowman and the paper Lion, when all of a sudden the Lion lands in their midst!! The Snowman wins anyway.
There is a Hulk of normal colors with a button on back that can bring his fists together to smash someone or to pinch their nose (which is what we do), and a Hulk of clear green plastic, a Batman figure who is somehow disqualified from the game and a Claw guy who falls down alot. You tell me to write his name down as “Weird Aliens Combined”, which I think is a much better name anyway. Somehow, they might get matched up with my team of 3 larger-than-a-matchbox cars, convertible style, from the 1950’s.
There is also a jungle team. 1 giant rubber snake, 1 articulated salamander of wood, 1 steel salamander, (just like one my friend got in Venezuela) 1 tarantula spider, 1 tiny blue frog, and a 2 humped camel who comes with his own desert ground. There is also a supporting green Lego dragon named Scroth [your spelling is Sckoth] who has a guy in white riding on his back.
There are 4 sets of plastic dragons with baby dragons which can somehow fit onto their backs. There is a niche between their wings, and somehow the baby dragon wings expand just enough to fit into the moulded space between the bigger shoulders. I imagine you imagine they are Daddy and Son, and how it must fit into your mind as neatly as your father and you.
1 set is blue with yellow wings, 1 is black with silver wings, 1 is salmon with yellow wings and 1 is silver blue with orangey-gold wings. You tell me that “They are good dragons, but they need to bruch their teeth. Really, look, they are all brown! And tat one with fire coming out of his mouth needs a drink of water so his teeth won’t get burned.
At some point, I make sure we transition into your writing homework. I decide I have writing homework too, (you have no idea that I carry a notebook around with me everywhere I go and that I love to read and write, and I hope you will too someday). When you hear that I have written down my list, you have to have a list of your own for the story about Sea Creatures that you are doing for your writing homework (which is usually a “Yuck!”, but again, I have tricked you into realizing that writing can be a way to be creative. Ha HA!).
You have 6 sea monsters, one with fire scales, one with turquoise and purple polka dots, one with black and white stripes, one green, one orange and one with little santas on him. (!!) When I ask if you have spelled “turquoise” like I have spelled it, you say yes. I do not question you further.
There is a string of plastic silver Christmas beads which are meant to go on the tree, but you have realized (as I did) that they are much more fun to play with when they are off the tree. As you read to me what you have written, you play with these beads with your feet. They make a rich sound, almost as if they are made of real silver, and you are a rich prince, playing idly with your precious metals.
When you ask me what I have written, I read this to you and you smile at me in recognition of all the words you have just uttered. I think I got it right.
We draw monsters. I do one from "Where the Wild Things Are", one of the dragons and the camel.
You do your turquoise polka dotted sea creature and the black and white striped one. You even write down a checklist, so you'll know which ones you did.
After you brush your teeth, you ask to see a picture of me as a child. In it, I am your age. 8. I have my arms folded and you think I look mad, but I think I look satisfied and as if I take everything for granted as an only child. Your father gives me a look, he knows you are trying to avoid going to bed.
I wish I could tell you bedtime stories like my father told me. (Instead I'll write them here).
There are several teams.
The teams you judged weakest will be fighting first. The first round consists of 1 “Abdominal”/ AbominaBable Snowman who came as part of a Lego set, a single white baby Tiger and a series of 8 Elephants on keychains, each painted slightly differently. The Elephants form a circular blockade, all facing inwards, around the Tiger, who is their King. The Snowman is the strongest and is generally sent out to do the gruntwork. The Elephants and Tiger came from their perch on my windowsill. I think this game started when you asked me what animal I could be if I could be any animal at all. I said a horse, and you seemed disappointed. You said a White Tiger and I told you to close your eyes while I ran to get it and make it appear magically before your very eyes, when they opened again.
The team they are fighting includes a Bear, a Rhinoceros (song:" I want a hippopotamus for xmas"!) and a Lion, all made out of paper cardboard cutouts which fit into slots to create a 3D effect. You have colored the bear brown, but I see that his feet are on backwards, so I take his sides off and now he looks like he is wearing a funny coat.
The animals take turns fighting the Snowman, and since you are in charge of the Snowman team, the Snowman will end up always being stronger. Today’s fight seems to take awhile. The Elephants begin to get restless and joke with each other about how dull the fight is. One animal gets knocked into the couch, and because of his small stature, takes an absurd amount of time to reach the cushion. 60,000 years later, while the flying cry is still being heard, a large bouncing sound is heard. The Elephants begin to reminisce about stories they had heard from their great-great-grand elephant fathers about the legendary fight between the Snowman and the paper Lion, when all of a sudden the Lion lands in their midst!! The Snowman wins anyway.
There is a Hulk of normal colors with a button on back that can bring his fists together to smash someone or to pinch their nose (which is what we do), and a Hulk of clear green plastic, a Batman figure who is somehow disqualified from the game and a Claw guy who falls down alot. You tell me to write his name down as “Weird Aliens Combined”, which I think is a much better name anyway. Somehow, they might get matched up with my team of 3 larger-than-a-matchbox cars, convertible style, from the 1950’s.
There is also a jungle team. 1 giant rubber snake, 1 articulated salamander of wood, 1 steel salamander, (just like one my friend got in Venezuela) 1 tarantula spider, 1 tiny blue frog, and a 2 humped camel who comes with his own desert ground. There is also a supporting green Lego dragon named Scroth [your spelling is Sckoth] who has a guy in white riding on his back.
There are 4 sets of plastic dragons with baby dragons which can somehow fit onto their backs. There is a niche between their wings, and somehow the baby dragon wings expand just enough to fit into the moulded space between the bigger shoulders. I imagine you imagine they are Daddy and Son, and how it must fit into your mind as neatly as your father and you.
1 set is blue with yellow wings, 1 is black with silver wings, 1 is salmon with yellow wings and 1 is silver blue with orangey-gold wings. You tell me that “They are good dragons, but they need to bruch their teeth. Really, look, they are all brown! And tat one with fire coming out of his mouth needs a drink of water so his teeth won’t get burned.
At some point, I make sure we transition into your writing homework. I decide I have writing homework too, (you have no idea that I carry a notebook around with me everywhere I go and that I love to read and write, and I hope you will too someday). When you hear that I have written down my list, you have to have a list of your own for the story about Sea Creatures that you are doing for your writing homework (which is usually a “Yuck!”, but again, I have tricked you into realizing that writing can be a way to be creative. Ha HA!).
You have 6 sea monsters, one with fire scales, one with turquoise and purple polka dots, one with black and white stripes, one green, one orange and one with little santas on him. (!!) When I ask if you have spelled “turquoise” like I have spelled it, you say yes. I do not question you further.
There is a string of plastic silver Christmas beads which are meant to go on the tree, but you have realized (as I did) that they are much more fun to play with when they are off the tree. As you read to me what you have written, you play with these beads with your feet. They make a rich sound, almost as if they are made of real silver, and you are a rich prince, playing idly with your precious metals.
When you ask me what I have written, I read this to you and you smile at me in recognition of all the words you have just uttered. I think I got it right.
We draw monsters. I do one from "Where the Wild Things Are", one of the dragons and the camel.
You do your turquoise polka dotted sea creature and the black and white striped one. You even write down a checklist, so you'll know which ones you did.
After you brush your teeth, you ask to see a picture of me as a child. In it, I am your age. 8. I have my arms folded and you think I look mad, but I think I look satisfied and as if I take everything for granted as an only child. Your father gives me a look, he knows you are trying to avoid going to bed.
I wish I could tell you bedtime stories like my father told me. (Instead I'll write them here).
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