Sep 10th is the Teacher's Day.
Last year I remember I bought 3 flower bouquets for DoDo. It was
really happy holding those flowers in a sunny morning on the way to
kindergarten. So she was excited and told me: "Mama, as if we two are
just getting married!"
That was funny. I smiled and bent over: "Ah yes. Happy wedding's day, honey."
But there was something wrong. It was more about money instead of
about gifts. I payed, then she sent them as gifts. Also there was such a
confusion: am I showing the kid how to bribe the teachers? If I really
have to do something at that day, maybe it's a chance to explain what a
gift is, what is really a 'Thank You' to teachers. So I decided next
time only buy single flowers and DoDo needs to do something herself.
With 3 purple water lilies in hands, I think hard: what is the
something I planned for DoDo last year? Drawing cards? Anyway, she can
do that now. And I do have blank postcards at home.
DoDo likes the task. And it's also a easy time for me, I can just lay
on sofa and play the fishing game. She invites me to join, but I tell
her I will write for her, so the painting part is all hers.
The startup are always flowers, sun, moon, stars...as in usual kid's drawing.
Then comes the interesting conversation.
"Mama, do you know where do the sun, the earth, the moon come from?"
That's a hard question. Shall I mention that boring big bang? "No, I don't know...."
"I'll tell you. In evening, the sun, flea out of the earth. And in
morning, the moon flea out of the earth. The moon, performs retransmission (where did she get such complicated tech words?) for the
earth... There is a small window on the earth. So sometimes the sun and
the moon can find it and run out of earth. That's why they can run
away."
"Really? That's very interesting."
"Yes, it is."
And on the other day while walking arround , she comes back to this topic again.
"Mama, do you know how comes the sun, the earth, and the moon?"
This time I confess my ignorance without hesitation: "I don't know, honey."
"Let me tell you. The moon, is hatched out of an egg. (This I have a
clue, days before she asked me where cockcroaches come from) This,
happens outside of the earth. Then the moon enters into the earth, together
with stars. They come together. But the sun is different..."
So good to know there are so many possiblities and varieties about
this normal world arround me. Almost like an Asimov's fiction.
Later, on one card I see a blue flower, a '6', and a green thunder bolt.
The only problem is, the color pencil doesn't work well with the
postcard paper. So although they are good enough drawing for stupid
parents like me. Still not in a gift style.
I can only suggest her to put some water color on it, to excite the picture.
So DoDo continues. It turns out to be a total rework. Water colors
cover up all old pencil pictures. And the result is far far beyond my
imagination.
Here are the final products:
A garden, I suppose. Because obviously it is about flowers. I like it immediately for the bright colors.
This one we talked about punching the brush. She was laughing when
doing so. I said the punch printout is really nice. Then she told me the
left red one is a bird. Then I realize it is such a vivid flying
scarlet bird. It is a result of coincidence. But so great.
This one I didn't like at first. It's just a big purple circle. So I
kept suggesting her put more colors on. At last she explained, this is
"a typhoon affects the flower in the center". Immediately I admit it is a
great painting. This summer we've got quite some typhoons. She's so
impressed by the weather forecast. For typhoon, I've got 1.5 days home
office with DoDo singing and dancing arround, to speed up my debugging,
which really works.
The next day, Dad sends DoDo to kindergarten gate with the water lilies and the cards. Then it's all her way up.
When she's back in the evening, I ask, "Have you given them to Teacher Li, Teacher Qiu and Antie Li?"
"Yes."
"Are they happy?"
"Yes."
"What did they say?"
She looks confused, "I don't know."
Now all feel right.
Posts
