Um, At Least I Knew It Was a Mammal?

July 20, 2007 @ 3:42 pm | Filed under:

Any mother worth her salt knows to never, never ask a young artist, "Is it a (fill in the blank)?" You’re supposed to say, "Ooh, I like your sculpture; can you tell me about it?" and let the child’s conversation enlighten you as to the identity of the object she has so enthusiastically and inscrutably rendered.

I, however, have never claimed to be worth my salt. Which is why I am prone to exchanges like this one:

Me: "Ooh, what a great Sculpey lemur!"

Beanie: "Mom. It’s not a lemur. It’s a panther."

Whoops.


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Comments

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  1. Somebody's (occasionally) Funny Grandpa says:

    Isn’t “lemur” the Sculpeyish word for panther? (I’d check for myself but I seem to have misplaced my English-Sculpey dictionary.)

  2. Rebecca says:

    LOL! I was taught the same thing years ago. I read that instead of looking at the child’s painting and asking, “What is it?”, I was suuposed to say something like, “Oh, I love the colors you chose! So bright and vibrant!”

    The other day my 4yo handed me a painting that did not look familiar and I said, “OH! I love the colors you chose!” She cocked her head sideways and sneered, “You always say that. It’s a GIR-AFFE Mommy.” šŸ™‚