Saturday, December 13, 2008

What would Freud say?

Kate went from drawing random scribbles to drawing people, literally overnight. That is how this kid operates. Potty trained in one day. Transitioned to a big kid bed in one day. Gave up her pacifier in one day. There is an example of self-determination at its finest. Last month she sat down and started drawing people, lots and lots of people. Like a good mom, I took one of her photos to work, so I could proudly display it in my office. That’s what moms do, right? I couldn’t find it in the parental instruction manual, but it felt like the thing to do. That might have been prompted by Kate screaming in my ear, “Take this to work mom and hang it on your office door!”

My boss came into my office last week and kept looking at Kate’s picture. He then proceeded to assess the meaning of the photo by reading the facial expressions she had drawn. I saw figures vaguely resembling people. He saw all sorts of things that someone with multiple psychology degrees would see. He has sort of ruined me forever, because now I tend to psychoanalyze children’s artwork. I think I was better off NOT in the know.

It was a timely lesson, I guess. This was what Kate drew a couple of nights ago:



I’ve consulted my inner psychologist for this interpretation. Let’s just ignore the fact that they lack bodies and their appendages are sprouting from their heads. My five-second training course didn’t quite get that deep. What we have here is a family who thought they had all been taking Prozac for quite some time. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that they were in the placebo group. Despite being angry at the world, they are mysteriously close to one another, showing strong emotional connections. Or, it may have been a case of, You Are Going To Stand Next To Each Other For This Picture and PRETEND Like You Like Each Other whether you mean it or not dammit. Someone needs to give these people some Christmas cheer and remove the stick that appears to have been lodged firmly in each of their butts. It makes me want to reach into the picture and give them all a little hug. They need to hear that life really isn't all that bad.

Oh, do you think the photo was a fluke? I’ll introduce you to her second drawing of the night. By the way, could someone please call Kramer and tell him my family has stolen his 'do?



I’m hoping her future teachers don’t pay too much attention to her artwork. Thank goodness she is seriously the world's happiest and most well-adjusted kid, or I’d be concerned, really, really concerned.

22 comments:

Whitney said...

Hahaha! I'm sure you could start a new field of pyshcology by way of analyzing drawings of small children and searching for deep hidden inner truths.

The website for the aprons in www.flirtyaprons.com! And they are 20%off!

The Tildy Spot said...

This was absolutely hilarious. The Krammer reference made me laugh out loud.

Everyday Goddess said...

She draws better than I can!

Claire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Claire said...

Those look just like the drawings my daughter was doing about a year ago. Just wait, you will be amazed with what comes next...we've moved on to fingers, shoes, hairdos, the whole 9 yards. I can't wait to see how Kate's art progresses!

The Blonde Duck said...

LOL! What a funny analysis! Hi from SITS!

Yellow Beads said...

ha, that is too cute!!

Annje said...

Ahh, it's the Potato Heads!

Call Me Cate said...

I'm a little concerned that not a single one is smiling. Either they are actively frowning or completely devoid of emotion. By the second pic, she was adding hair. Maybe next she'll move on to some happy thoughts.

Anonymous said...

HA HA HA!!!!!
what amazing pics! :) too funny lyndsay!
jana

HorribleLicensePlates said...

Those are the cutest potatoes I've ever seen

Andrea said...

Cute post! And you said you don't have anything to say!

Andrea
saucy blogger

Unknown said...

See.. now you've ruined them for me too! I was thinking... awwwwwwwwww they are sooooooo cute (they still are) but you got me going back and doing another look-see for deeper meaning. Your explainions were funy. I was giggling like a loon!

Simplicity said...

I think this is how Mr. Potato Head was started! :)

So cute!

The Rambler said...

What? I totally see a drawing of a hot mommy drawn by her awesomely cute daughter....but I mean, just cause I have a 2 year old and translate every drawing into being complete admiration of our parenting skills that I'm sure Freud would be in shock of.

Or she just saw Toy Story and related to the Mr. Potato Head...cause he's pretty funny.

IDK, I'm sleep deprived, must recharge...stop typing :)

Divine Chaos said...

my mother has found the "first people pictures" that my sisters and I all drew. She framed them and has them up on the wall in her dining room. Amazingly enough, they seem to be from the same family that your daughter is drawing. I tend to think that they were all taking Xanax instead of Prozac .. and were just way mellow at the time of the portraits.

Love the Kramer-do .. that's awesome! teehee

Jenners said...

So funny! love your analysis! They look almost exactly like the ones my son drew when he first started drawing people -- the potato people stage, I called it! They are so funny, aren't they! Thanks for sharing!

Yellow Beads said...

Hey, me again... I am doing a giveaway this week on my blog, so please stop by when you get a minute: http://www.anotheronlinemom.blogspot.com/

Josh said...

Man, this makes me wonder what my future children will draw. Scary thoughts ...

Sta*R said...

Hilarious! I can't wait to decipher my daughter's drawings...

Jeanne Estridge said...

When my daughter got her first coloring book, she took a black crayon and completely blacked out the eyes of Huey, Dewey and Louis. Then she looked at it and started screaming, "They're blind! They're blind!"

I seriously thought I was going to have to put a 3-year-old into therapy....

Audiophile Girl said...

Now THAT's hilarious!