My daughter’s new favorite book series is Curious George. If
you don’t know, Curious George is a curious little monkey who is taken from his
home in Africa by his friend, the man in the yellow hat, to come and live in
New York. The current series of books is based on the characters created by the
original authors, Margaret and H.A. Rey. The books all follow pretty much the
same pattern. George and the man with the yellow hat are doing something (going
to the aquarium, preparing for a party, attending a baseball game, etc…) and
George gets curious about something. He explores it and gets himself into
trouble by making a big mess. Then he runs off to get away from the people who
are angry at him, but sees someone in trouble and stops to help, making a big
difference. That gets him out of trouble and by the end of the story his
mischief is forgiven and everyone is happy. There are some variations;
sometimes his initial action that causes trouble also has unintended positive
consequences as well. Overall though, the stories keep to the same template - curiosity, thoughtless action, trouble, redemption.
My daughter loves these stories, and I don’t mind them. They
aren’t the best moral teachers but they are kind of cute, and the illustrations
are sweet. The world they describe is very old fashioned compared to the world we live in so the books have a nostalgic feel. Curious George is essentially a three year old with more
advanced physical capabilities (and wow, am I glad my daughter can’t climb and
run the way Curious George can! My husband and I would be dead in the water as
parents). He’s curious and takes a great deal of initiative in his activities
but doesn’t have the capability to plan or consider consequences. He doesn’t
want to get into trouble but he does because he can’t see the bigger picture of how his
actions will play out or how people will react to him.
Curious George offers an accurate psychological picture of a young
child. I’m constantly telling my almost three year old “don’t do that, that’s
dangerous, stop you’ll get hurt, be careful.” To which she frequently responds, already,
“I AM being careful!” Which, of course, she is not, but she’s learned
what she’s supposed to say. This afternoon my husband brought her to the
hospital where I work to have lunch. This is a rare treat for me, that my
schedule is open enough and their schedule is open enough that we can get
together for lunch. While we were heading back to their car from the cafeteria
I had to constantly caution my daughter about not running, not spinning, and
not careening into other people. She doesn’t intend to bump into people or
cause accidents, but her ability to process the logical consequences of her
course of action is lacking.
I did find a safe place for her to spin before they left
just so I could take pleasure in her sheer joy in the motion. I can remember
loving to spin too as a young child, twirling around and around until I was so
dizzy I fell laughing onto the couch while the room spun around me. Now, as an
adult, I am far too aware of the possibility of bumping into things or getting
hurt to enjoy spinning. Mind you, I think falling hurts more as an adult (I’m
further from the ground and less flexible) but mostly I’m just cautious. As a “grown-up”
I’ve lost much of the exuberance my daughter demonstrates; my mind is filled
with potential physical and social consequences that inhibit my behavior.
Which is not necessarily a bad thing. You can’t live life as
Curious George, after all. In real life most accidents don’t have such
fortunate consequences and people are much less forgiving, particularly of
adults who are expected to know better. The ability to take potential outcomes
into account when planning your course of action is considered a key
psychological strength. One of the joys of parenthood, however, is stealing a
few moments to vicariously recapture that joyful lack of caution through your
child.
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