Semantics
August 2, 2006
I ought to be packing for our trip to Calgary, but it’s hot. This trip will be just Dylan and I, and I’m looking forward to spending the week with all the focus on him. Have I told you how much I enjoy his company? With no Troll Baby around, I will get to hear more of what is going on in his mind.
When I told him we would be checking out the Calgary Zoo, he got very excited.
“I’ve never been to a zoo before!”
“Yes you have. In fact, you’ve been to the Calgary Zoo before.”
“I have? I don’t remember that. I think I would remember something like that.”
“Well you were in my belly at the time.”
“Well then I didn’t SEE anything then.”
“Semantics, Dylan.”
The recent use of the word semantics in our house came a few weeks ago. Dylan is at that age where he questions absolutely everything, and corrects my speech. When it’s time for bed, he will go through a series of questions and excuses why he sholdn’t have to go to bed, such as the usual “what time is it right now?” “I’m hungry/thirsty/have to poop,” and “I have to see the end of Big Brother,” which, by the way, is not something my 7 year old should be watching but I love this craptastic show and I’m selfish like that.
In the summer, we aren’t consistant about bedtime. Basically Troll Baby hits the crib when he starts getting Crabapple McNasty, and Dylan goes to bed when I want to watch something like C.S.I. or Law and Order: SVU. Usually by 10, he is sitting on the couch, mouth agape, and eyes heavy. No matter what time he goes to bed, he is always up by 9 and heads to the computer to play Adventure Quest until Troll Baby and I wake up around 10. My theory on summer is that the kids need this time to relax and be lazy.
The unfortunate part of all this laziness is that the kids are exposed to alot of commercials. Have you noticed that these kid-targeted commercials are making parents look pretty damn stupid? Wendy’s commercial shows a kid wanting the car, and not getting the answer he wants, hypnotizing his father with a burger. How about the Subway commercial where Jon Lovitz says, “Let’s watch as Dad tries to make dinner!” and the family ends up going to Subway. What are these companies trying to achieve?
It really pisses me off, because there’s already enough children in the world who have no respect for their parents, and here these big companies are attempting to put more power in the hands of children.
I talked to Dylan about it and now every time a commercial comes on, he comes to me and tells me how the parents looked stupid. Like the Wal-mart commercial where the mom is frozen, staring at her receipt, and the child is calling her name over and over. He said, “Even though it doesn’t make the kid more powerful, it makes the mom look stupid.”
Last night we watched the Staples commercial for back-to-school. As the music played, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Dylan said, “Look at that commercial Mom.”
“What’s wrong with it honey?”
“Well now they are showing the kids upset about going back to school, when school is something we should enjoy because we learn stuff. Plus the parents are SO HAPPY.”
Mentally counting the days to September, I glanced at him and smiled, “Semantics, honey.”
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Lookie! I’m first!
You have one intelligent young man there. I know you are so proud!
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Semantics, baby.
Yet another reason why I adore you.
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:12 pm
You know, there must be something to the name Dylan that brings out the questions…I have the same at my house.
Good for you…showing him the whole marketing racket!
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Semantics. Wow, that’s a smart kiddo you’ve got there. I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t STAND to watch live TV any more. Thank you, Tivo. Now I just want to fast forward through ALL commercials because they’re all trying to tell us how friggin’ stupid we are. How did we ever live without advertisements to tell us what we need?
Have a great trip.
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:37 pm
Oooh! How’d you get him to say that? And when I have kids, I hope they’re just like yours. That they love learning. However long that lasts.
You’ve raised him well, my dear.
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Well done! I’m still trying to impress upon the Boys that saying “you throw like a girl” is not okay to say to your brother, it shouldn’t be an insult to throw like a girl. Lord knows I do…
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:17 am
Wow, he’s a smart kid!!! And dont feel bad about him watching BB. My 2 year old watched it a few times while we were in TX. He just sat there, eyes glued to the tv…I swear he knew what was going on!!! LOL!
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:05 pm
How cool to get to take a trip just with Dylan. That is the kind of thing that really makes special memories.
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:31 pm
You are coming to Calgary? I LIVE in Calgary! I will very likely be at the zoo this week trying to walk this baby out of my belly while dragging along a five year old boy… who doesn’t particularly want to see the animals, he just wants to climb on the massive jungle gym they have there.
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:25 pm
you could teach your son the trick that my in-laws did for their kids, mute the commercials… the ads have little to no effect on the kids then and everybody wins!
but discussing what is wrong with the commercials is very smart, too.
August 3rd, 2006 at 7:33 pm
I agree with you about those commercials, and a lot of the kid oriented tv programs are the same way. The mom is stupid and the father is a bumbling idiot. And the kid? The kid is the smartest of all and even when he disobeys the parents it always works out for the best and the parents apologize to the kid. Is that the message we want to send our kids?
Whoa, now wasn’t that a rant from me
August 4th, 2006 at 8:59 am
Crabapple McNasty. That is totally going to be my alias from now on.
August 4th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
My 10 year old was watching TV the other day and asked me earnestly “Why do women have to wear that bra for 18 hours straight? What happens if you take it off sooner?” I told him our boobs fall off. Okay, I didn’t but that is what I wanted to say. Instead I explained the company wants to market the concept that this bra is supposed to be so comfortable you can wear it longer than other bras. Given my son’s expression when I was done explaining, I probably should have just told him our boobs fall off, I think he would have found that more interesting.
August 5th, 2006 at 3:47 am
Smart-Ass you got there babe!!!!!!!!!!
August 5th, 2006 at 10:56 am
I have been meaning to come over to your site FOREVER since I just MochaMomma. What a great first read. I actually cut off cable when my daughter was born and we have never switched it back on. We talk about it sometimes but it is such a hypnotic eye we can’t seem to turn off…so we have never subscribed to cable again. I never appreciated till she was much older was what a grateful kid she was because no one was telling her what she OUGHT to have, how she OUGHT to look, etc. She has her own distinct sense of fashion, values and I am proud of her for being a self made gal.
August 5th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Smart kid. Which means, of course, that he’s dangerous.
May 26th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
adipex…
egosane uoropj…