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Entries categorized as ‘preschoolers’

Deep Thoughts

November 2, 2009 · 5 Comments

Some thoughts that Lucy expressed during the year when she was 4 years old.  Leopard and Kitty are stuffed animals and also Lucy’s invisible animal friends who are a sage source of wisdom and advice, as in “Leopard told me …” or “Kitty knows …” or “Leopard already did that …” and Wanda is our elderly cat.

November 2008
“I have a date with Leopard. We had a fight. We’re going to talk.”

“If you’re zero years old then you’re just a seed that is put in someone’s tummy”

“I can’t take naps at home because my [stuffed] animals are talking and wake me up”

(looking at leaf on sidewalk) “That’s a footprint of a dinosaur made out of a leaf”

(in car with music playing) “My feet are singing”

(smelling the air) “My nose is stinky”

“Since I have food in my tummy I am not having a sad day”

“Did you notice I can jump and twirl my arms at the same time?”

When asked “Do you know how much I love you?” She answers, “yes, five.”

(near harrison/20th in the mission district in San Francisco) “This would be a good place to live because you can see the sun setting and it’s really beautiful.”

February 2009

“A long time ago, before I had a momma and mommy, it was just me and Leopard and Wanda and we were saving pigeons.”

Lucy sits down at dinner table and notices I made her a “cocktail” (fizzy juice with a maraschino cherry) and says, “You didn’t have to make me a cocktail, Mommy. I didn’t ask you for one. Thank you so much for making me a cocktail.”

She put the cap on her scissors and said, “Look at me! Now I can run with scissors because the cap is on and I’m protected”

March 2009

(after her great-grandmother died) “Dead people aren’t as fun because you can’t show them your toys or play with them, you can only remember them, not as fun.”

“I’m tired of running but I don’t want to walk so I have to run”

Listening to Obama read his book and Lucy says “Obama’s grandparents are from the same Kansas as Dorothy!” (devoted Wizard of Oz fan)

April 2009
“I’m thinking of what it might look like inside of a song – how is music made?”

“The clouds in the sky look like blurry thunder”

Lucy ate a sardine and asked, “Where did it come from? Does it know that I’m eating it?

At the top of Twin Peaks at night, looking at the city, Lucy gasps, “it looks like a toy! So pretty!”

May 2009

Woman with a child was shouting expletives on F-Market and apologizes to Lucy.  Lucy says, “she’s angry because didn’t sleep well.”  I asked Lucy if she heard every expletive and insult that was screamed for 10 minutes. She says, “No, I didn’t open my ears.”

June 2009
(talking about dealing with being afraid of the dark) “I can go under the covers in my bed and then I own my own darkness”

“I didn’t step on the millipede because I think it wants to live”

July 2009
Lucy’s invisible friends Leopard and Kitty (who are also stuffed animals) apparently had their first day of kindergarten today and Lucy has a talk with them about what it was like and how they feel about kindergarten.

“The spinney thing makes the dizzy part of my body go to my tummy,” says Lucy while spinning on playground equipment.

August 2009

“I know everything I already need to know. I never need to know anything else”

“Being smart means you know a lot of stuff and your brain is really strong and you can think of lots of things”

“Even if I already know how to do the whole thing I need to practice to get more good”

Categories: happiness · preschoolers
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A New Scientist

May 20, 2009 · 3 Comments

Lucy announced this week, on walk home from school, “I want to be a scientist when I grow up.”  I tried to respond with calm and support and only imagined myself jumping up and down and cheering.

She's been afraid to lift her legs off the ground while the bike is moving, but shortly after this photo was taken she did it and lifted her legs up and floated. Bravery! Courage!

She can be just about anything she wants, but I have a soft spot of extra enthusiasm for girls wanting to be scientists, and also a strict promise to myself to try not to require it of her or overly emphasize it.  Since this announcement she’s started describing some specific things (maybe she’s done this before and I only recently noticed) as scientist toys or scientist books or scientist play.  And, oh,  don’t I want to hold onto this confidence and desire and interest she has and spread it out amongst her whole life like soft butter on a pancake.

Confident conspiring stance

"C'mon, let's go find the puppies!"

Categories: happiness · preschoolers
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“protecting the moat while we allow the castle to burn down”

March 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment

That’s what San Francisco Deputy City Attorney Therese Stewart said today during the Prop 8 oral arguments at the California Supreme Court.  I love that quote.  Every time I read it I think of Lucy’s last birthday party with this castle that our friend Fred built.  A lot of Prop 8, for me, is about protecting my family, and particularly protecting my kid (which is what marriage is about).

Categories: civil rights · marriage · preschoolers · prop 8
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Protection and Prop 8

March 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment

This morning we took a much longer walk to get to preschool than usual.  We were avoiding the protests at the state building.  Lucy’s preschool is in the same state building as the California supreme court.  Usually we’d walk right up the steps where the protest was.  Today we took a wide berth and walked a block away around and through the other entrance.  Lucy wanted to know why we got off the streetcar one stop earlier and then why there were so many people and signs in front of “her school.” I asked her why she thought they were there.  She said, “It must be somebody’s birthday. It looks like a birthday party. But the signs look just black and white so they aren’t very colorful or pretty.”(We were too far away for her to see signs with rainbows)

We took a wide berth and walked 3 extra blocks and avoided the protest to protect her.  She doesn’t yet need to know that anyone thinks her parents don’t deserve to be married.  She only needs to know love and support and confidence in her family and friends.  At the Prop 8 Town Hall last week an adult woman stood up and talked, through tears, about how sad she felt when prop8 passed because her moms are married.

I was thinking about this protection when I was leaving the state building after dropping Lucy off at preschool.  She was happy on the couch with her friends, surrounded by teachers and kids who are all her friends and supporters.  Outside it was much different.  There were signs opposing gay marriage purporting that opposing our marriage also “protects” children.  And then there were all the children holding or standing with adults who were holding varieties of yes-on-8 signs.

Why do they bring their kids into this if they purport to protect children?  I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they aren’t teaching their children to hate.  I hope.

Categories: marriage · preschoolers · prop 8
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