I find it intriguing, the different sides of myself that I reveal with each blog entry. In some entries I reveal the hidden (or not so hidden) geek in me. Other entries reveal my sappy side. A few have revealed my daily frustrations. Come to think about it, reveal may not be the best word. This implies I knew about it before and am choosing to allow you a glimpse of it on purpose. Sometimes I knew it well, long before writing. Other times, the process of writing about it is how I realized it’s there in the first place. Hmmm... Maybe that’s why I love writing as much as I do.
I like to think that this blog will reveal the depth to which my inner child controls my soul and it comes to you with the letter B and the number 5.
I love Sesame Street. I’m told that I loved it as a kid and now, in adulthood, we have it on our streaming Netflix so I can access episodes whenever I want… Uh, I mean whenever the kids want. Riiiight.
So, we were watching an episode the other day and it was about Baby bear going to school for the first time. Obviously, it’s designed to teach kids about the first day of school and ease their fears, answer their unspoken questions. A noble cause. He goes to the storybook community school (being part of the 3 little bears, of course) and I just about cracked up watching them represent his first day. For example…
His classmates and teacher were an enormous source of amusement for me. They included:
1- Jack and Jill- Jack kept asking Jill if it was his turn to carry the pail yet and Jill kept saying no. He kept falling over and saying “ouch, my crown”. Then she would fall over too.
2- Hansel and Gretel- They arrived, bustling, and speaking with exceedingly strong German accents. Their solution to every problem… throwing breadcrumbs gleefully into the air, of course.
3- Mary and the little lamb- Mary with her little lamb, Mary complete with an overbearing Scottish accent and a crook. She informs her little lamb that coming to school with her is “against the rules”. She actually croons the word “rules” in accordance with the associated accent.
4- Little Red Riding hood- She approaches every female and calls her grandma, remarking swooningly on the size of her eyes.
5- Peter Piper- He actually introduces himself as the one who picked the pickled peppers. No joke.
6- Mother Goose- She’s the teacher, of course. And she’s got the hat.
When the kids at the storybook community school get started, what activity do they complete? A puzzle. And what is the image in the picture? Humpty dumpty, of course! Can they put him back together again? That one actually made me snort a little. The kids turned to stare at me with questioning eyes. Clearly, snorting is not a noise they are accustomed to hearing from my mouth and they wanted to investigate the source. When they discovered that I wasn’t ill, they went back to watching their show.
I would like for you to picture the scene. My family room is covered in toys, like usual. The kids are sitting on the floor, watching the show and I am cracking up, giggling like a child. This simple humor is beyond my intellectual mind, it’s just too darn hilarious.
It reminded me of the Renaissance faire and the myriad of shows that are presented there. The humor, while quite racy and adult, is appropriate for kids because it’s subtle. I would happily bring my young kids to the shows (provided they would sit still long enough) because the adult humor would go right over their heads. It’s the well timed looks, unfinished sentences and double meanings that create the humor, not profanity.
So, to all of you out there who create children’s programming, I say THANK YOU! Thank you for creating a multi dimensional experience, during which both my kids and I can enjoy learning and humor from the same source. Your contribution to this world does not go unrecognized.
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