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Artistic License
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Passions
An obsession started about a year go. Ten months, really. Felix decided on a "theme" Halloween costume last year: he would be a butterfly and Sebastian would be a flower. I greeted his decision with glee. Here was a costume I could throw together without much trouble or expense at all and no one would wonder what the Hell the kids were got up as. (I still remember the year my mouse oufit was greeted at one door with the question: "Why are you dressed up as a dirty ballerina?" so I have a small interest in costumes being identifiable-- not enough to make my own highly detailed costumes or fight the kid to keep his antennae on.)
Since then, butterflies have fixed themselves int he minds of both children. They pretend to be butterflies. We have gone to butterfly visiting areas (at the Bronx Zoo and on vacation). We now have butterfly documentaries handy (though I haven't actually found a good one-- any thoughts anyone?) Soon, as a late-summer several-week-long project we'll encourage caterpillars to transform in a butterfly garden set-up at home. There have been numerous butterfly art works in the last few months, culminating last week when the children were permitted to do a butterfly-based art project with someone who knows a lot more about butterflies, and art, than I do.
Don't think there's a lot of memorization or learning going on here. Felix hasn't done that thing small children sometimes do where they sit down and memorize all facts about everything (Yankees line-ups, dinosaurs, snakes, princesses-- those seem to be popular obsessions). No, in this case, butterflies are more like friends who get discussed a lot. They get talked about generally.
Only a couple have really distinguished themselves enough to be particularly memorable: the Monarch butterfly (easy to remember, interesting migration, cool colors) and the Atticus Atlas Moth. While visiting a butterfly farm in June, Felix and I each had the pleasure of holding one of these critters. There is something remarkable about feeling the weight of a gigantic moth (I'd say it was about as big as a small plate-- or Sebastian's head) in your palm. They are hefty critters, hovering between exquisite and grotesque.
Anyway, I approve of this obsessive phase. I like the subway one too. But I know that there are good chances they'll be drawn to sports statistics and vehicles.
On another note... posting here has been sporadic due to some technical issues that have been dogging me for about a month now. It is still not quite clear what the problem is but there is some hope that I'll be able up and running, or running better soon, so my apologies.
posted by Elise at 11:45 AM
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Tolman said...
Eep! Do you remember my costume taken from a book by Zilpha Keatley Snyder? I was one of the tree people. I think you were Sherlock Holmes. It seemed like I was getting some strange reactions to my beautiful white ghost-like costume, and years later it occurred to me, "Good heavens--I looked like a grand knight of the Klan!" And in the south, no less.
8/18/2009 11:41 AM
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Tolman said...
