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Rob's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 11/15/00 -------------------- 11/7/00 11/1/00 10/25/00 10/10/00 10/4/00 9/25/00 9/19/00 9/13/00 9/6/00 8/29/00 8/23/00 8/16/00 8/8/00 8/7/00 8/1/00 7/26/00 7/19/00 7/12/00 7/5/00 6/26/00 6/15/00 6/8/00 5/25/00 5/22/00 -------------------- Rob's Introduction

June 8, 2000

Of Mice and Rowan

Ah, Friday at last. This morning begins my first four-day weekend with Rowan. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Rowan goes to day care while I take care of whatever I need to do. This week that was building a set for the Billy Goat Experiment's next show, "True Tales From Unreliable Sources." (Broadway Armory, Chicago) It's going to be quite a show, with shadow puppets and demons, so it's not really for the kiddies ... Sorry, a demon made me plug that show when I'm supposed to be talking about Rowan.

Rowan has a very realistic white mouse puppet that her Nana (my mother) sent her for her first birthday (October 28, 1998). At the time, she showed no interest in the mouse, which had a camouflage bandanna around its neck. The bandanna was Nana's reference to one of my childhood games: Army Mice. I thought it was wonderful, but Rowan thought it was an unremarkable piece of soft stuff, which is how she seemed to perceive all dolls and stuffed animals. I put the puppet on my hand and made it wave. I made it dance until my wrist ached, but Rowan didn't seem to care, and gradually the mouse sank to the bottom of the toy basket.

A few weeks ago while cleaning, I ran across the army mouse, now stripped of its bandanna and lurking in the shadows. A deserter mouse. I put it on my hand and waved to Rowan. The puppet caught her attention this time and she came closer. She had been growing more attached to her dolls and stuffed bears in the past months. "Hi Rowan," I squeaked for the mouse while waving its paw with my thumb. Rowan cocked her head to one side while she cooed inquisitively. "Hi Rowan," I squeaked again. She extended her hand toward the puppet, and I moved the puppet toward her while I squeaked, "Can I have a kiss?"

Rowan jumped back, fending off the mouse and said "No" as sternly as she could, with her face drawn and serious. I apologized and put the mouse away before comforting her, but inside I have to admit I was giggling. She was just too cute when her hard-earned understanding of the distinction between animate and inanimate objects was turned upside down!

After that I brought the mouse out every once in a while, just to see if her attitude had changed any, and maybe to show a friend once, admittedly. Gradually she did become less terrified of it, even learning to hold it herself. Yesterday she put her hand inside it, but of course she didn't know the magic which makes it move. This morning she brought the mouse puppet to me and put it in my hands. "Do you want me to make the mouse talk?" I asked Rowan. She didn't say "no" and that's usually her answer to any direct questions which do not involve identifying a body part ("Rowan, where's your nose?" or "What do you call this, Rowan?"). I took her anticipatory silence as a "yes" and put the mouse on my hand and started the show. Rowan was suspicious but not overly anxious so I asked her if she wanted to shake the mouse's paw. She slowly reached out for it, and didn't get upset until the mouse grabbed her back.

I don't think she's ready to try this technique with the vacuum cleaner, however.