All children are born philosophers. They question the world with a meticulous and insatiable interest. There is so much to learn from their curiosity, and the sense of wonderment they display is inspiring. Yet over time we slowly condition our kids out of this way of being. Partly because it can get super annoying to take 50 minutes to walk 10 feet, but also because the world is really uptight and doesn’t always appreciate your child’s probing.
The other night I brought The Munch to a cocktail party that took place in an art gallery. Okay fine, maybe I didn’t have to bring her, but it was what happened. Finding childcare is a challenge, and sometimes it is just easier to bring Munch with me than figuring out how to leave her behind. Besides, she likes to party and it gave her the opportunity to eat about a pound of salami and cheese.
In the middle of the room were these two sculptures of a naked man and woman sitting down contemplating their own nudity. The Munch was fascinated by these figures, and wanted to interact with them. She looked into their eyes, and then gently touched their bodies. She bent down to get a good stare at their exposed genitals, then would go to the back and ponder their open assholes. At one point she even grabbed the guys’ hanging penis – not hard mind you! She wasn’t damaging anything.
Okay… fine. I am probably not supposed to let my kid touch someone’s artwork. But it was in the middle of the room. And it was a sculpture! It was not like she was doing anything destructive. But still, I see my own fault here. Yet from a selfish perspective The Munch was entertained, and appreciating the art more than anyone else standing beside it stuffing their mouth with a hot dog wrapped in dough.
“No you can’t touch that!” This was also inevitable. The Munch looked at the museum lady with a look of such sadness and confusion. Her eyes saying “why lady? Why can’t I touch this statue’s dick if I want?”
The Munch came over to me and cried. I felt for her, because really I should have stopped her before some stranger yelled at her. But it is hard to always so “no” to your kid. We say “no” so often because there are so many rules and expected ways of being. My personal philosophy at home is that unless she is being super irritating, or about to hurt herself or another person, I let her do what she wants. I never baby proofed my house, or created an environment that wasn’t welcoming of her investigation. From the beginning I decided to trust her more than doubt her, and as a result The Munch is pretty trust worthy. I mean of course there are accidents, but she knows how to be careful with delicate objects and how to touch objects of value gingerly – including a plaster penis.
