Sunday, February 22, 2009

Refrigerator Door

Something different.

Naturally, when you find a drawing like this, you wonder what your kid is picking up from other kids at school:

At first look it seemed to capture the exact sentiment I'd like to put across to a certain local senator, and the legislative leaders here who say they don't disagree with him...

However, when asked what the hippie there is doing with his hands, Brian said that dot on what appears to be the middle finger is actually the "o" in the "okay" sign. Upon further questioning, it seems that's intended to be the meditation fingers. You know: the sort you see folks hold under bodhi trees. It seem Brian thought those in deep meditation were just sitting there signing "okay", which, I guess, isn't too far off.

Aside from his new artistic direction, he's just began taking a strong interest in math, to my excitement. I've been introducing him to the basics of algebra, and he is absolutely eating it up, making me write down an equation for each letter of the alphabet each night this week. I swear, I don't push this on him; I am, though, happy to oblige :-). He did this one yesterday:
I only had to give him some help on only about a third of them.

Of course I certainly wouldn't leave Alan out of this refrigerator door blog post. Our boys are just so different; it's very easy for Rob and I to find unique ways to connect with each of them, but Alan's interests leave less of a paper trail.

He may not like math like his pop did and does, but he likes many other things. We make a lot of Lego structures and vehicles together, when we aren't in a pitched lightsaber/martial arts battle. He's more rough and tumble and, to that end, he does do something on paper I remember doing a lot as a kid:
We play this game, the result of which is above, where you start out drawing your character and then take turn dreaming up ways to beat the other in "war". I know, I may not get the parental peace prize, but Alan was the McCain supporter last year in our family, and just because "armies are pretty cool". In that one he started off as the moth-man and I was the tank that eventually surrendered, after my moth-man-eating plant, and sonar-locating-of-invisible-moth-men bats died. Alan seems to win every time :-).

Anyway, I guess I was just sick of anything serious today and finding the "peace man" was just what my day needed :-).

9 comments:

Amanda said...

Those pictures are adorable. How old are your kids now? Algebra's pretty cool! Our six year old really loves math but he has yet to attempt algebra, though it might come soon.

Anonymous said...

Bwahaha! Totally made my day!

Unknown said...

I remember loving algebra when I was little. I think I started learning it when I was like 7, but didn't know it was a much hated subject then. Instead of figuring out the value of different letters, my teachers used "smudged numbers" that I had to solve.

Rob said...

We need to put Alan and my son together, sounds like they were cut from the same cloth. My office wall is papered with his pictures of Star Wars and Star Trek battle scenes. He loves Lego projects too.

angryyoungwoman said...

I love that picture!!! It's got to be the best ever! I just burst out laughing when I saw it. Beautiful. Your kids are so great.

Guy said...

That made me laugh so hard I think I woke up Trey. Wonderful pictures. And funny timing. We had an Oscar/Birthday party for some friends here tonight (including a 2 dad family with twin boys the ages of yours who had just told us tonight of their boys learning "the bird" from someone this week, then I read your post). So, I don't know, I think Brian's bluffing. To me, it looks like an angry belly dancer--possibly transgendered-- with a mohawk, flipping Buttars off--and that's what I'm sticking with! ;)

Scott said...

I'm thinking it's a luchador ...flipping someone off.

And... on the subject of math, we we highly amused when our kindergartner son did all of our 2nd-grader daughter's subtraction homework for her--without ever having been taught to do subtraction--and only missed one out of twenty problems. (They're in 5th and 7th grades respectively, now, and both pretty good at math).

Sarah said...

They're in 5th and 7th grades respectively, now, and both pretty good at math.

They get their math ability from my side of the family. :)

Scot said...

Amanda: "How old are your kids now?"

They are 6... and a half :-).

Ah, D., that's what you have to look forward to :-).

Evan "Instead of figuring out the value of different letters, my teachers used "smudged numbers" that I had to solve."

That's a good idea. Brian seems to get it but Alan may benefit from that approach.

Alan:"We need to put Alan and my son together, sounds like they were cut from the same cloth."

So you must have mad light saber skills too. I have to practice every day.

Thanks, angryyoungwoman, I'm sure the artist would love to hear it.

Guy "So, I don't know, I think Brian's bluffing."

That was my first thought too. But he was adamant; they were meditation fingers... or maybe he thinks people meditating are flipping everyone off :-)?

Scott: "on the subject of math, we we highly amused when our kindergartner son did all of our 2nd-grader daughter's subtraction homework for her"

Wow. Yeah, but, if your daughter is anything like Alan, she was none-too-happy. He hates it when he gets help from his brother.

Sarah: "They get their math ability from my side of the family. :)"

That's what I claim too.