Kids Still Say the Darndest Things

If you were to ask me to name my favorite television show of all times, I would tell you that has to be Art Linkletter's House Party, which ran on CBS from 1952 to 1970. The segment of the show in which he interviewed children, Kids Say the Darndest Things, was what kept me and the rest of America watching. Art knew that a kid's perspective on life was important and entertaining. He taught us that what kids have to say is important and that we should listen.

Following Art's example, I've been listening to kids my entire life and I can tell you that the really important stuff I've learned in life, I have learned from kids. Here's just a few of the things they have taught me:

• Babies don't fall out of their mommy's tummies because they are tied in by a string.
• You can repair anything with a hammer and some tape.
• A good story for you to read is about a girl named Cinderella and her Fairy Guard Mother.
• Boys think that the Bogeyman is in the closet but girls know that he is really under their bed.
• Every citizen in the United States has silver rights.
• All fairytales should begin with the phrase, One piece of time and end with, I don't remember the rest.
• If your pants are too short, wear a pair of highheels which will push your legs up into your pants, making the pants look the right length.
• Mama couldn't possibly be Santa Clause because she's not fat enough and doesn't have much of a beard.
• The main cause of fires is the Dalmatian dog that rides on the firetruck.
• If you still have checks in your checkbook, you still have money at the bank.
• If a new sibling has over stayed his welcome, ask Mom if she's going to return him when she takes the library books back.
• Jello should be served at every meal.
• If you go to a foreign country and don't learn their language, you can't eat or use the bathroom.
• If adults speak a foreign language poorly, you should laugh at them so that you don't have to listen to bad language.
• If your mom makes you clean your room, don't hide your stuff in the closet, 'cause she will look there...pile it on your bed, then make the bed.
  
• You shouldn't eat any food that has eyes that look at you.
• Always take a grandparent shopping with you in case you don't have enough money, 'cause this won't work with a parent.
• If someone is boring you, tell them you have to use the restroom...then don't come back.

What are some of the things children in your life have taught you?

See Art Linkletter and his kids by clicking on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im58XcqDu9M

Art Kids

Caged Bird, a construction of found objects by Gary Retherford.

As you know, children interact with all things in their environment, including art. This interplay can range from a benign curiosity, to their deciding that a piece of art could do with a bit of conservation, or worse, restoration.

Take the small sculpture above, the bird has a raw, red head which you cannot see in the photograph. This came about some years ago when our twin granddaughters decided that Bird was dirty and they would scrub him. As their parents and grandparents were deep in conversation at the dinner table, the two busy conservators took bird into their own four hands.

Later, the artist offered to repair the piece but we felt that we did not want to alter Bird's history. And that was the right choice, for each time I look at him, I smile and recall the story of that sweet day with my granddaughters. Altered by two toddlers, Bird is all the more precious to us.

Another Kid Conservator Project

My son-in-law's parents are serious art collectors. In their home they have many wonderful pieces by Monet, Picasso, George Segal, etc. And then there's that one quite curious Picasso.

When asked, they tell of the time when they bought an important Picasso to add to their collection (a signed work on paper.) It was unframed, so it was placed flat on the dining room table, in its acid-free tissue, until there was time to take it to the framers. My, then five-year-old, son-in-law spied the piece and decided it needed a tad more color, so he fetched his box of crayons and completed the piece. Today, the Picasso is proudly framed and a wonderful story goes with the viewing.