Emily and Phoebe

Friday, November 30, 2007

Pet Shop Girls

On passing a local pet shop, Phoebe suddenly annonced that she wanted to get a pet because Emily doesn't play with her enough.

That's the whole story, unadorned and without exaggeration.

If I have inadvertently and not at all with mischievous intent given the false impression that Phoebe wants to swap her sister for a hamster, I apologise.


Thank you.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Star of wonder, star of light

Phoebe is to play the Star of Bethlehem in her school nativity play. I am uncertain whether this is a speaking role or whether she simply has to wander about serenely in front of the wise men.

In fact, she seems rather underwhelmed by the role: her first choice was Goblin King, and she was quite put out to find out that he doesn't feature in her school's version of the Baby Jesus Story...

Monday, November 19, 2007

I want to be in America (Part 2)

After a period of mature reflection (see previous post) I have decided that the girls do not spend too long in front of the television and that therefore we are not Bad Parents.

Phew!

I have concluded instead that Phoebe is a child prodigy. If she fulfils her early promise she will probably end up as a Professor of Geography at some famous university (quite possibly in New York itself!) and will deliver lectures on the Statue of Liberty and all things geographical.

Hurrah!!!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

I want to be in America

Phoebe sees a picture of the Statue of Liberty on the back of a Cornflakes packet. "Daddy, I think I want to go to New York," she says.

Blimey! When I was her age I don't think I even knew that there was a city called New York, let alone what or where the Statue of Liberty was.

I ask Phoebe how she knows, and she rather unhelpfully replies that she "just knowed". I suppose she must have seen it on television: the networks here are so saturated with American TV shows (including four episodes of Friends each weekend, plus Monk, House, Gilmore Girls and some soap-opera-like offerings that I can't remember the names of) that it is almost inevitable that the kids will have some familiarity with major U.S. landmarks.

But doesn't this indicate that Emily and Phoebe spend too much time in front of the television - and that we are Bad Parents, indifferent to the impact that it might have on their young and impressionable minds?

This is a question to which I shall have to give serious thought...

Friday, November 09, 2007

Draughts

Emily beat me at draughts!!! I am so, so proud!!!

(Needless to say, though, this must never, ever be allowed to happen again.)

(And anyone wondering what took her so long - yes Phil, I mean you - can just keep their comments to themselves, alright?)

Friday, November 02, 2007

Phoebe in girly clothes

Yes, I know. No other child would even begin to consider these clothes girly, but as far as Phoebe is concerned, the colour of the top is All Wrong and the trousers have a flower design on the lower part of one leg, which is Just Unacceptable. Hence her unhappy expression. (Actually, doesn't she look as though she's about to send her two minders to sort me out?)