Sunday, July 13, 2008

...and I just can't hide it

It's good to teach your kids disappointment. Not just to teach them about disappointment. No, I mean actually disappoint them.

What you see here is Peter, visibly bursting with excitement just minutes before going to the cinema to watch Kung Fu Panda, the latest cartoon movie that Peter has been dying to see. But more on the inevitable sadness later.

For breakfast this morning, David had a sandwich covered with Nutella, a spreadable chocolate that can be quite messy. David proceeded to smear chocolate on his lips, cheeks, forehead, hair. If he were not my kid, I would have laughed my ass off.

At one point, David slipped quietly away from the table. I was working on the computer, but I heard everything. David giggling in our bedroom, followed by a very annoyed Angie - That's nice. Just wipe it all over our covers. Then more giggling and the pitter-patter of little feet as David tore down the hallway with Angie right behind. Thump! Crying.

I got up to see if David was ok. He had tripped while racing into the bathroom. Angie had picked him up already and was dunking him under the sink to scrub the chocolate out of his hair. I took a look at the floor and saw the most awesome smudge mark from where David landed. It was a chocolate smear that included a partial handprint and half of a lip-mark. So of course I ran to get my camera, took some pictures of the bathroom floor and went back to work on the computer. A few minutes later, Angie pokes her head around the corner. 'Yeah, don't wipe it up. Just take a picture of it.'

Anyway, back to disappointment. Peter and I raced up to the cinema, threw open the front doors and made our way to the back of the line. We chit-chat about what candy we will get to supplement our popcorn as we wait for our turn. The time finally comes and the lady asks how old Peter is. 'Four' I tell her, thinking she is being nice, simply curious or, as is often the case, trying to flirt with me. 'You have to be at least six to get in', she explains in a dead-serious tone. Shit. Yes, I said that one out loud, in case anyone is wondering about Peter's new word.

I argue with the lady until she gets her supervisor, who then gets her manager. In Germany, it is against the law, they explain. Driving 200 miles per hour on the highway, drinking alcohol in the streets, smoking marijuana - legal. Cartoon movies involving a fuzzy panda bar - illegal. Whatever. Screw you, cartoon cops. We found a different cinema and this time, I think you can guess how I answered when asked how old Peter was.
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Ladder Talk:
1) What was the best part of your day?
Peter: When I like seeing the bad witch. That movie.
David: When Opa come and Grams.

2) What was the worst part of your day?
Peter: When you yell at me and tell me to go into the other room to talk to mommy.
David: When I bonk my head on the bed.

3) What would you like to do tomorrow?
Peter: When I. We do tomorrow for that watermelon for us to eat.
David: To get a bath and make ladder talk.

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