How Children Learn About the World

[ashnistrike]

(Bobby is sitting on S's lap at the computer desk.)
Bobby: What's that?
S: It's a shoggoth. (She takes it down for him.)
Bobby: It has lots of eyes.
S: Yes, it does.
Bobby: It has lots of mouths.
S: That's right.
Bobby: It's a good shoggoth! (Pets the shoggoth gently, as he has been taught to do with the cats.)


We also had a conversation about families:

Bobby: Becca has a Daddy and a Papa.
S: That's right.
Bobby: Bobby has a Papa?
Me: No--Bobby has a Daddy and a Mommy and... how many Mamas?
Bobby: Both Mamas!
Me: Right, two Mamas.
Bobby: Aunt Becca has a Daddy and a Papa.
S: No, Aunt Becca has a Mommy and a Daddy, and they're Mama Thanna's Mommy and Daddy too.
Me: Everyone has parents, but they have different kinds of parents.

For the people who claim that having to explain my family will upset and confuse their kids, I'd like to point out that the distinction between the 3 or 4 Rebeccas he knows was the only part that seriously befuddled him.

Comments

[tattercoats.livejournal.com]

Rah! Absolutely. What is presented as reasonable and acceptable becomes, well, reasonable and acceptable. Quite right too.

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

I'm a little worried about his easy acceptance of Lovecraftian horrors from beyond the stars. Next thing you know, they'll be teaching in our schools.

[blaisepascal]

I can see being confused. I thought Becca has a Mommy and had a Daddy. But then Ive only seen him around one Becca.

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

Different Becca, of a similar age, who lives near us. The New York Becca came up, too, eventually, as he tried to sort them all out.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

This Beka has a Daddy and a Papa:



That's her Daddy. I'm her Papa. :->

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwwwwwww!

Also, awesome.

It's a good shoggoth!

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

With lots of eyes!

I supposed I'd better teach him "tentacles" too, if this sort of thing is going to keep coming up.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

In re tentacles, this video is relevant to our interests, and also to our Technocracy game.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

Seven grandparents. Four parents. More aunts and uncles than I can keep track of. This kid is going to have mad social skilz, and also way too many toys.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

We will. I think that's a conversation for when he's a little older, though! Right now he knows that "sometimes grown-ups are mean," but it's a pretty academic understanding.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[almeda.livejournal.com]

My nieces refer to all their grandparents as "Yia yia" and "Papou" (Greek). With no disambiguation. Mind, they're rarely all in town at once, but STILL! I at least tagged 'grandma' and 'grandpa' with the relevant last names, as a kid ...

[acelightning.livejournal.com]