Yesterday was my daughter’s sixth birthday. My wife told me that there was a horrific meltdown at the store when the ice cream cake they picked up did not match the picture in the catalog. Screams, tears, and a half hour of sobbing.
Last night, I told my daughter the story of The Birthday Party of Smart Carolyn from the Moon (Smart Carolyn is the character my daughter identifies with in the Captain Rod Gearhart steampunk stories I tell her at bedtime). Smart Carolyn was disappointed that her Moon birthday cake wasn’t what she expected, and had a temper tantrum in the Moon supply depot. I told her about the Moon supply clerk who had traveled to five different supply posts searching for the right color frosting, and who felt very, very sad that Smart Carolyn from the Moon didn’t even say thank you.
My daughter sniffled a little in the dark, and then she continued the story for me: “And then Smart Carolyn from the Moon got over it, and realized that the store clerk had tried her best, and that’s what was really important. And the cake was delicious.”
So this morning I was in a pensive mood when I came across this blog, “Lies I’ve told my 3 year old recently.”
Everyone knows at least one secret language.
When nobody is looking, I can fly.
We are all held together by invisible threads.
Books get lonely too.
Sadness can be eaten.
The very last one on the list is the reason I blogged it. But I didn’t include it here… go read it over on Heading East.
Another corner building. Designed and textured. Needs an interior. #blender3d #design #aesthetics #medievalyork #mysteryplay
What have my students learned about creative nonfiction writing? During class they are collaborating on…
Two years after the release of ChatGPT, it may not be surprising that creative work…
I both like and hate that Canvas tracks the number of unmarked assignments that await…
The complex geometry on this wedge building took me all weekend. The interior walls still…
View Comments
Eric, happy birthday (early). Glad to hear you've agreed to lead the SIG. I'll be happy to help you with the proposal, if you like. Yes, let's keep the bibliography project in mind. I'd love to meet up with you during your stay in the area.
Happy Birthday to your daughter. Hope she had a nice party together with her family and friends. It's my birthday tomorrow on the 14th. I posted that I'd lead with Daisy at the conference next year. Looking forward to working on that bibliography. I'll be in Indiana from July to December if you want to chat sometime.
Bobby, I think the entry is still useful to teach about both rhetoric and creativity... the author created a mood, and then used it skillfully to zig-zag emotionally, creating a contrast that really drives a point home (as Stormy and Mitchell agreed).
Yes, Chelsea, sometimes I still have days like this, only I just do it quietly, in between appointments, in my office with my door closed. If my colleagues notice, they don't talk about it.
This happened to me before too.
Poor little Carolyn.
It is a cruel reminder of our mortality. As a parent I hope this is a lie, I would hate to outlive my son.
This made me cry.
It was a good cry. Thanks for this.
Sadly, all of the rhetoric lies with its title using the word "lies" and that last line, which drastically changes the blog post's pedagogical possibilities. If the blog post did not use "lies" in its title and did not include the last line, then it might be helpful for teaching readers about the value of imagination.