a simple yarn

So, Daughter-Kate-Who-Also-Does-A-Bit-Of-Blogging, wants to get a picture of her rabbit, Fern, in a ballet costume.

Not going to go down that bunny trail, as it were, of storytelling. But, if I were truly a good teller of tales, I could weave a great yarn all about that. However, I’m not. Actually, I was more interested in, and frankly sidetracked by, her comments. They went something like this…

‘Mom, can I take a picture of Fern in a ballet outfit?’

I know I should encourage my children in their creativity when the mood strikes, but being a realist, I heard myself say, ‘Wellll….I foresee a couple of challenges (didn’t say problems….didn’t want to put her off). First, we don’t have a ballet costume that would fit Fern and secondly, even if we had one, I don’t think we could get her to put it on.’ (I didn’t tell her that there was no way on this earth that I was going to chase a rabbit around the back garden trying to get it into a tutu!)

Not to be dissuaded, she replied, ‘That’s okay, we can just Photoshop it.’

Photo courtesy of Daughter-Kate with camera phone
Now, I’m not a deep philosophical thinker and I don’t have many metaphysical moments and I know she was just doing a little computer-aided-problem-solving, but I was boggled by her apparent disregard of reality and the ease with which she was willing to alter it. Guess I shouldn’t be…she’s a 21st century kid.‘Just Photoshop it….’ It doesn’t matter that there won’t be an actual bunny wearing a leotard. But, there will be an illusion of it and that’s all she needs.

Right, don’t want to limit my kids’ creativity….want to foster an imagination without boundaries…want them to be firmly grounded…and realise that I’m probably saying that from my 20th-century-mindset.

I know that’s true because I’m re-thinking ways to get Fern into that tutu….