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Monday, January 29, 2018

"Perspectives of a Preschooler" by Elaine M


I would like to begin by clarifying that I, the author, am not the preschooler. I am an almost-adult who is mildly obsessed with holding onto my childhood and reattaining the idea that life is as simple as I make it out to be. I have a fascination with how kids think and process information, along with how they convey it, seeing as they dont yet have the vocabulary or experience to explain all that they think. In an attempt to understand how the mind of a child works, I went to someone who I truly feel is an expert in being a kid: my four year old nephew, Seth.
Im going to be asking you some questions, okay. Can you answer them for me? I asked.
Yes, he responded, with an emphasis on the length of the s.
What is your name?
S-E -, he paused to point at the uppercase E I had just typed. No! Do a circle with a line! I realized that he wanted the e to be lowercase instead, and was immediately reminded why I put off interviewing a child with the patience of, well, a child, for so long.
I feel the need to add some background on Seth. He is learning how to write the letters of the alphabet, but so far can only spell his name. He doesnt yet understand capital letters, but he knows that his name is a snake, followed by the circle with a line, a line with a line, and a little. This is what he says to describe the letters in his name, just in case I dont know what letters are. He does this with everything. He calls things by what they are to him, hoping that his explanations will help you get on the same page as he is. This often results in him calling things this little thing thats this big and like this with absolutely no further explanation as to what this is. But what else do you expect from a preschooler.
How old are you?
Four, he says while holding up three fingers.
What does that mean?
I have a lot of cuts. Right here, he pointed at his knee while making the most dramatically pained face I had seen him make in the last ten minutes, Just a little bit more cuts little bit right here.
Of course, I replied, having no more idea what that means than I had before. What is the best color in the whole world?
Blue because hes really fast and red is the fastest fast.
I paused to think of how to explain that colors arent fast, but then realized hes a kid, so of course colors are fast. There was nothing I could do to change that. What makes blue so fast?
You go zoom zoom, he yelled as he leaped off of the couch and sprinted around the room. I have no idea how he ran so fast, seeing as he wasnt wearing anything red or blue.
Tell me about your dog, I asked him.
Lucy?
Yes.
Lucy is one old and thats it. Lucy is one leg, two leg, three leg, five leg, one head, two eyes, one nose, and a tail. A lot of hair. She has a body, too! I love her 100! Lucy is bigger, thats why lucy is big, thats it, he paused to stand up and walked towards the door. Goodbye, Im done, he announced as he walked out.
I dont know how long I expected him to sit still and answer my questions for, but I was definitely not expecting him to walk out at that moment. He took a break to go bug his mom about something while I sat in bewilderment at what I had already learned. Now dont get me wrong, I love kids, but I have a bad habit of just saying uh-huh to everything they say to me. I hadnt taken the time just to listen to them in a while, at least since winter break ended. I felt refreshed learning that my dog was 100, and that blue was fast, and lowercase letters were better than capitals.
He came back and sat down, smiling, as if to say he was ready for the next question.
How did the world begin? I asked.
It just its morning time, that's why. Thats all I know, he replied with equal parts certainty and wonder. I believed him.
            I continued asking him questions about this and that waiting for something that would pull an original response out of him.
Can you tell me what love is?
Hugs! He jumped up to hold me. I froze, and then relaxed. He wasnt wrong. And kisses and I dont know, thats it.
No you feel it, tell me more.
Loving penguins, and eyes, and the water and bellies like this.
And what else?
And uh S-E-T-H, he proudly spelled his name.
Can you tell me what I look like? I asked.
I know, a person! he responded as though he, himself had discovered that.
Keep going, I inquired.
A person who says agh just like Seth!
But youre seth.
Agh!
            At this point in the interview process, I decided it was time for another break. Seth does a wiggly dance when he is distracted, and the dancing had begun. I took a break from typing and asking to just play with him. He showed me his toy cars and explained that one is faster simply because he says so. He pointed out things about my room that I hadnt noticed in a while, trinkets and books from when I was younger, the first thing I sewed that I felt proud of, my time out chair from when I was small. He picked up the small sushi plushie I made years ago and began fidgeting with it, waiting patiently for more questions.
Tell me about your mom.
My mom is so tall all the way up there big, he said, pointing at the ceiling with total conviction. I would like to point out that his mom is five foot one.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A policeman.
Why?
“‘Cause I like the police.
What do the police do?
Put the bad guys in jail.
Who are the bad guys?
He paused to point to the words on my computer screen before softly declaring, Him.
We had been at this for a while and I couldnt tell if he was joking with some of these answers anymore. I chose two more questions from my list to ask.
What's the saddest thing ever?
I dont know, he said while smacking his forehead. Are we done?
Almost. Whats the happiest thing ever?
Toys because they are fun!
Thanks. Youre done
Yay! Done, yes? He asked with enthusiasm.
Yes.
            He gave me a quick hug before grabbing my hand and pulling me out the room. He brought me to the living room and asked me to play his favorite song for him. We sang and danced until the song ended. Then he went up to his room and I went back to mine. I sat down to start writing this blogpost and wrote this first:
            I know nothing more about children than I did when I started this. Maybe people were meant to stay clueless and curious, and maybe thats the one thing kids truly have figured out.

31 comments:

  1. Lauren Elizabeth WrightJanuary 30, 2018 at 5:58 PM

    I really liked this! It made me smile to read, and I also enjoyed the analytical perspective you took on it. Great job!

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  2. I found this story really entertaining. Personally I have a lot of little kids in my family and I could just imagine myself having this same conversation with all of them. I find it fascinating and also hilarious the things that they say and how it’s perfectly normal to them. Great work !

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  3. We forget, as we grow, to retain our innocence. Knowing Seth, this was really cute and typical of him but I feel like this was an amazing look inside a child's brain especially because I am not frequently around kids. Very unique writing structure as well! I don't think anyone's done an interview yet, great work.

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  4. I rarely interact with children, both by choice and by circumstance. Like you, I just don't have the patience. However, I'm still interested in seeing how their developing minds work. I loved your piece because it combined the raw worldview of a four-year-old with your own. It was nice seeing how kids think and see the world around them. I especially liked the part where "so tall" is 5' 1" to him. I liked how you provided details on his actions and direct quotes from him. Thank you for sharing!

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  5. I love children and this piece truly captured what it is like to interact with a preschooler. I thought this was very entertaining and comedic, as well. Great job!

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  6. AWww, Elaine !! This is so precious! I was cheesing the entire time I was reading this. Your intro to this interview with Seth was so captivating, as well as the ending. The ending sent little chillies down my back because it's amazing to think a person as little as Seth, who is only in the beginning of their adventure through mental development, has solidly figured something out. Such a wonderful and spirited post. Thank you for introducing us to Seth (-: -Imani Crenshaw, per. 2

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  7. This is so cute! Your nephew sounds like an energetic bundle. Though I don't like interacting with children much--- they drain me out--- reading your interview and your commentary was both entertaining and enlightening.

    I think I get what he meant by red being the "fastest fast" if you go by color association. Blue is my favorite color too. I'm glad he thinks 5'1" is tall, coming from a 5'0" girl :D

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  8. I thought this was so adorable and so interesting! I loved how unique this topic was and I found myself constantly smiling throughout reading it. I especially loved it because I'm a aunt to two 2 year olds and I have no idea whats going on half the time so I found myself constantly relating to this! Great job!

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  9. Nice narration on a heart warming experience. I like that the breaks you placed between all the dialogue was evenly spread throughout the piece so it was not just short dialogue back and forth.

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  10. Children are one of the most interesting things in life, they're new to the world and are still experiencing everything for the first time. To hear your nephew's answers to your questions and his queer answers were sure to put a smile on my face.

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  11. Wow!! Elaine, I loved your blog post so much!! I was able to picture this entire interview that you held with your nephew. I admire how innocent, honest, and creative children are. Similar to you, I have to patience to be around kids and I love how they express themselves and their creative ideas. This was so cute, great job!!

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  12. Great story! I have a little sister going to preschool now so I was definitely able to relate to your story

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  13. This was really cute. Children are adorably stupid and this was just an extremely concentrated stream of that lovable innocence. I love how you explored a variety of questions, too; it really emphasizes how clueless they are across a wide range of topics

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  14. This was really interesting and so much fun to read. Being one of the youngest of my family, I don't really have much interaction with children who are younger than me. This was such an interesting way of looking into the mind of a child who is still learning and developing. I thought it was endearing how innocent Seth's responses were. I also enjoyed how you decided to do an interview for your blog and didn't make it boring but really fun to read. Great job!

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  15. This was so cute! Even as someone who has no patience when dealing with children, I couldn't help but smile more and more after every silly answer he responded with. You expertly captured the true beauty and genuineness of kids that lies at the heart of their carefree attitudes and blissful innocence. So creative, great job!

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  16. Aaww Elaine this was so adorable. Knowing that you're close to all your little relative people, I'm happy that you decided to write this and give Seth an interview. However, I wasn't aware of how much you wanted to see what it's like to be a kid again and what goes on in their minds. That's pretty cool. Reading this interview you had with your nephew makes me want to have one with my 4 year old brother now! So thanks for the idea Candy Cane!!

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  17. I absolutely adore children, but reading the whirlwind that is a conversation with a child, well lets just say I like kids as long as I can give them back. No I'm just messing around (sort of), I'm really impressed with the documentation of the interview, it felt like I was in the room with you guys. Also, you gave us the perspective of a child and I fond that to be amazing, society usually dismisses kids and what they have to say, but your piece shows why thats bad. We can learn from the free spirits that are children and now I think I'm going to go have an impromptu wiggly dance since I feel myself getting distracted and overwhelmed.

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  18. Aww this was really fun to read! The whole exchange was too cute. I miss having conversations like this. My little brother grew out of his silly stage. It was a nice breather to read about something so cute and innocent. You had me grinning ever since you asked the first question. Great work!

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  19. Wow!! This was sooo interesting and fun to read! I was smiling throughout the whole thing, I loved reading it! Great job!

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  20. Wow nice job Elaine!! This is so relatable because I have two little baby cousins and they act like this all the time. It was such a great idea to interview Seth just to see how full of innocence his responses were. As the interview progressed I found myself smiling more and more due to how cute and silly the interview was. When Seth said he wanted to be a policeman because he likes the police I couldn't help giggling. I think that I might also give my little cousins an interview and record their responses. Great job Elaine it was a pleasure reading this!

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  21. This was a very thoughtful piece. I love how you emphasized the innocence that we know children possess. Your descriptions and insights added a playful touch on the investigation of the blissful ignorance we envy as we grow older. Very creative and very well done!

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  22. Alejandro QuintanillaFebruary 12, 2018 at 6:09 PM

    I really liked this because I have younger cousins that I've tried to talk to but they make little to no sense in what they say and I never truly know what they mean when I think they understand them. Overall very funny and relatable story into the insight of a preschooler.

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  23. I loved this! Seth is so cute, I would not have the patience to do this. It was a great idea to take breaks in between the questions. I wonder why blue and red are fast, like what makes them fast. I'm left with so many questions. This was a great subject and it left me smiling!

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  24. Elaine, I absolutely enjoyed this piece! I love how you were able to capture the pureness within young children. It reminded of my smaller cousins who often talk of going to the sun at night! Great piece!

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  25. This is ADORABLE! It's really interesting how he interprets things. I've never thought about a psychological take on the developing mind of a four-year-old, and it's interesting to see it all typed out. I'll definitely remember this story as a red or blue car zooms past me on the freeway.

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  26. I loved this! We all brush off children because of the nonsense they talk, and we even do it with our peers. I was laughing at the nonchalant commentary (I just about died when describing his mom) and became entranced in deep thought after hearing his responses and how you interpreted them. I enjoyed the structure of the piece and style of your writing!

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  27. Awww Elaine this was absolutely adorable. I really like how you chose to interview your nephew and hearing all of his innocent comments really contrasts with your perspective as a young adult. We all like to claim that kids don't really know or say much but maybe they know more than we give them credit for. Great Work!

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  28. This brought a smile to my eyes. Amusing and informative in an enlightening way. I can relate this to what we are currently learning about child development in AP Psychology. Children at Seth's age are egocentric. The world is full of new and fascinating things to discover and revolves around them. They try to make sense of it with what limited information they know and learn, which we often find playful and amusing.

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  29. What a nice interview! It's interesting imagining everything from a child's perspective. I know we were all once children, and I can't imagine how I was when I was that young. Thanks for reminding me that the innocence and curiosity ever present in children still exists, as everyone needs a reminder now and then.

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  30. I loved reading this! This was very well written, and I loved when Seth randomly said "Goodbye, I'm done" and walked out. I thought this was so cute, and you really were able to show how the innocence and views of preschoolers!

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  31. Elaine the opening is simply so relatable and made me love this post so much more. The fact that I don’t get around to watching kids that much is kind of saddening to me but this entry really reminded me of the silliness that preschoolers can bring as well as their interesting point of views on life the world which is something I find incredibly interesting about them. Overall this was a fabulous piece great job!

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