I only have myself to blame. While we were shopping at Target on Sunday, my SweetPea happened to spot the DVD, "Kai Lan's Great Trip to China" on a rack that...GASP...happened to be strategically displayed at three year old eye level...and I let her have it. Hey, why not...it's a cute cartoon and being part Chinese myself, I'm all for letting the kids learn about Chinese culture. Or, at least, I thought it was a good idea...At first, we had the excitement of buying something new, which meant rushing home to watch the new movie. Then, we had fun talking about the story and all the new Chinese words we learned. Later, we got online at NickJr.com and printed a fun passport and sticker activity book so that we could play like we were "going to China". DUN DUN DUN...then...the question:
SweetPea: "Mommy can WE go to China?"
Me: "Sweetie, remember what YeYe told Kai Lan? China is VERY far away"
SweetPea: "No, it's not" (of course she doesn't think so...on TV it took them exactly 2 minutes to get there)
Me: "Sweetie, it would cost a lot of money to buy tickets to fly on an airplane to China"
SweetPea: "I have money!" (she sure does...a whole $30 in her Noah's Ark bank...that ought to pay for... the Super Shuttle ride to the airport)
Me: "We can PRETEND to go to China"
SweetPea: "No...we can GO there...you can drive me there"
At which point, I just give up the argument. So it seems I better get off my butt and find a way to get us to China. My options...join the Peace Corps...become some kind of missionary...or park myself in front of WalMart and sell cookies...a LOT of cookies. At that rate, we'll get to China somewhere around the time she's ready to head off to college.
Note to self, next time I buy a DVD, it better be "Dora Goes To the Alamo"...at least I CAN drive us there.
I vote you take her out to your favorite Chinese resturant and let her chow down with chopsticks :)
ReplyDeleteTell her you took her when she was a baby...
ReplyDeleteMe and the Coach: "Don't you remember? You loved it!"
Kids 1/2/3: "No....well maybe...yeah, I remember. It was great!"
We are not above a fib...they do it to us! We don't actually do this, but I have seriously considered it! :o) I have attempted this technique with trying new foods, and it works.
Oooh, I'm with Amanda on that one. Give her the China experience, without the actual trip. My girls LOVE Chinese food and Gracie can even use chopsticks (and I'm not talking kids sticks).
ReplyDeleteDon't you SERIOUSLY hate how stores sucker the poor innocent kids with their advertising (or should I say the stores sucker the kids into suckering their parents...) I hate how things are advertised towards kids as young as 3!
Haha, I like Momo's idea... you can photoshop a picture of her on top of a picture of China.
ReplyDeleteHA! I'll totally Photoshop her on to the Great Wall "see there you were...oh and look Kai Lan was with you!".
ReplyDeleteWe went to PF Changs on Sunday...after we got the movie. She's getting better with chopsticks, but she still needs to use the "cheater chopsticks" (as The Man likes to call them).
I printed out the "passport" on the Nick Jr site this morning...we did some Kai Lan cutting and pasting and she seems happy...for now.
Heehee!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the kids eating Chinese food just because of the movie! May have to go and buy it just so I can have some pepper steak...