Ande and I were coming home from a meeting and she was singing this to herself in the backseat
The 3 little kittens lost their mittens
And they began to cry . . .
Their mother said, “You naughty little kittens, no pie and you are grounded for a whole year.”
The 3 little kittens, they washed their mittens and they began to sigh,
“See mother, we washed our mittens.”
“Oh, you are such good little kittens, but . . . (in a real sweet tone) you’re still grounded for a whole year.”
Since children mirror what they see, I had three guesses as to what Ande was echoing:
1. A mother who believes in excessive grounding
2. A mother who is consistent and sticks to her word
3. A general dislike of cats
Since Calvin and I don’t ground it wasn’t #1.
I’d like to think the correct answer was #2, but since I found lots of reasons to change my mind in parenting, I'm not thinking it was.
So, that leaves #3 a general dislike of cats. Maybe that aversion stemmed from these postcards my grandma always sent . . .
. . . and since most of the cats look like they were raised by the Herdsmen’s in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and wouldn’t hesitate to scratch your eyes out, maybe Ande just couldn't seem to trust a cat. Add to the fact that this poem by Ogden Nash was recited every week in Family Night by one of the kids . . .
The trouble with a kitten is that
Eventually it becomes a cat
. . . and it is not surprising that we have only one, fond, real-life cat memory in the Payne annals.
The trouble with a kitten is that
Eventually it becomes a cat
. . . and it is not surprising that we have only one, fond, real-life cat memory in the Payne annals.
10 comments:
You know that I would have to agree with you on the cat part. This post had me rolling. I can only imagine how funny it was as you observed her singing in the car. Oh, and I didn't get a new camera YET, but borrowed one from a friend. Hopefully sooner than later :)
I love this post I shared it with my roommate. We have a mutual dislike for cats also. We often see cats and we refer to them as "creepy cats" I even bought one of my old roommates this ugly stuffed cat that we lovingly named "Ugly Cat."
What a cute daughter you have.
Also I'm so glad you have kept such a great journal to remember what a cute daughter you have.
Actually, Ande, my daughter is darling!
Those postcards are excessively disturbing! Your careful analysis of her "poem" was classic. I'm mostly allergic to cats so I think they're pretty evil myself.
Who knew you weren't keen on cats? This surprises me since they seem to be a natural part of country life.
You are such a deep thinker and can pen it all so well. Love that little Ande! By the way if you get a "mentally chalenged" kitten, it never really grow up! (: (I hope you think that is as funny as we do, because we swear our cat is mentally challenged, as it make us laugh!)
I agree with Jill in being surprised that such a nature-loving-country-living lady like yourself doesn't care for cats! But it just makes me love you more, because I CAN'T STAND 'EM! Great post!
Scary postcards! I like cats. I don't ever want to own one, though. But as far as pets go - they are more to my liking than the much needier dog.
What a funny memory.
I LOVED this!
I'm not sure what's better, your analytical words or your sense of humor. Put them together and you have an unbeatable combination!
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