...For you are crunchy and good with mustard 5

[Ladyazh]

I just saw someone's sig that sounded like Tracy's.
Here it is:

Do not trifle with wizards, for it makes them soggy and hard to light.


Is this from the same treasure box do you think? Is this some way of saying things that have a definition? Please, elaborate if anyone will.

 

[ascotta]

I am very follically challenged and have been since 16.

I went to work on building sites for 8 years, i grew 10 inches in a year. pilled on 4 stons and could then run through houses where people sit down for some peace and quiet made of brick.

One of those things I guess, but I do remember the growing pains they were extremly painfull. I have to admit to crying they were that painfull.

I have played rugby union to a high level, soccer to a reasonable level and cricket to be hit in the hystericals and the pain was nothing compared.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I'm very amused, but the first thing that came to my mind by reading the thread title was a crocodile, not trifles or wizards.

No animal is half as vile
As Crocky–Wock, the crocodile.
On Saturdays he likes to crunch
Six juicy children for his lunch
And he especially enjoys
Just three of each, three girls, three boys.
He smears the boys (to make them hot)
With mustard from the mustard pot.
But mustard doesn't go with girls,
It tastes all wrong with plaits and curls.
With them, what goes extremely well
Is butterscotch and caramel.

It's such a super marvelous treat
When boys are hot and girls are sweet.
At least that's Crocky's point of view
He ought to know. He's had a few.
That's all for now. It's time for bed.
Lie down and rest your sleepy head.
Ssh. Listen. What is that I hear,
Galumphing softly up the stair?

Go lock the door and fetch my gun!
Go on child, hurry! Quickly run!
No stop! Stand back! He's coming in!
Oh, look, that greasy greenish skin!
The shining teeth, the greedy smile!
It's Crocky–Wock, the Crocodile!

Bye, Olaf.

 

[SantaMufasa]

So, Olaf, How well do your children/grandchildren sleep at night? <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[Ladyazh]

WOW! I have learned a lot here.
That you can become follically challenged at 16
and
growing pains are NOT children.
i've always though growing pains is another name for children like rugrats.

 

[SantaMufasa]

Yes, Ladyazh, "children like rugrats" can, in fact, be "pains (in the <whatever>) that are growing up"...i.e., "growing pains" <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[KornGeek]

Ladyazh,

"Growing pains" is a term that is often used to mean "the emotional difficulties that come as a part of growing up, particularly in the adolescent years."

It can also be used medically to describe the physical pains that can accompany the rapid growth that can occur in children/adolescents.

However, as a father, I love the idea of using it as a term to describe children (similar to "rugrats", "ankle-biters", etc.).

 

[gbaughma]

I suffered from growing pains when I was about 15-16.

Very painful, in fact. The doctor explained that my muscles/organs were growing faster than my bones.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[Ladyazh]

ankle-biters?
ankle-biters?
please, catch me, i am fallin'

 

[SantaMufasa]

Ladyazh, "ankle-biters" refers to tiny children (pre-toddlers) who live at "ankle level", are at the age of "teething" and, as a result, can be thought of as "teething on their parents'/caregivers' ankles", thus "ankle-biters". It's purely a figure of speech (similar to "rug-rats") as a derrogatory term of endearment for wee children.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[buck2506]

I've always liked tricycle motors and curtain climbers. However one friend's parent have been known to introduce him as "This is our youngest child, Oops

 

[ascotta]

Bread snappers too.

Our was nicknamed Bink.......cos his eyes used to "bink" open when we went near him, and he burst into a huge smile.

His latest is "Fraser you muppet!"

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[gbaughma]

"This is our youngest child, Oops"

Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[Stella740pl]

Olaf,

The star is from me.

By posting the poem here, you made me discover a wonderful children's author, Roald Dahl.

I liked the poem, so I wanted to know the author, and I googled using one line from it. I found a great site,

http://www.RoaldDahlFans.com/index.php,

and from there, navigated to the biography, book excerpts, full texts of some other poems I loved from the first reading, like this one: "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf", and a lot more.

Apparently, I've heard about some of his books before, like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (this one, and some others, are translated into Russian), but, for some reason, I didn't know who the author was, and never bought any of them for my older child - and my home library is not small.

Thanks. It was helpful of you.

 

[Ladyazh]

I am fascinated how some people have way with words even like this poet...writing absolutelly horrific poem for kids and yet! be loved! (sigh)

 

[Stella740pl]

This poem ("The Crocodile", I mean) is not horrific; it might be scary for little kids, if that's what you meant - but I believe it was never intended for little kids. It was written for an audience of somewhat older kids that can read themselves and understand the humor of it. Like many other children's books by greatest authors, if you think of it.

Some books have two layers, one - immediate meaning - for the young audience, and another, deeper one - for the parents reading them aloud. Some children's books are equally entertaining for the children and the parents, but on a different level. Sometimes kids will understand only years later why you were smiling or laughing while reading that book to them.

As for horrific AND scary, try some of Grimm brothers' fairy tales. Some of the plots they used are common/folk stories, which have better (and often earlier) versions from other authors.

And yes, the words do have great power over people.

 

[Ladyazh]

Let me disagree on comparison to fairy tales. Tales always have point at the end. Good guy gets it all. So be good!
Poems like "crocodile" making me think easy life taking...with smile! And worse I do not see point in this kind of art. Can lots of this at young age hurt in future?

 

[Stella740pl]

Of course, it is you right to agree or disagree.

But it seems to me that you are judging a poet by only one of his poems. (Yes, one poem may be enough to feel that the poet is very talented - and to start looking for his other pieces, but it is probably not enough to dismiss him completely. But it is my opinion, of course.)

Just for the record, "The Crocodile" is an excerpt from the book "Dirty Beasts". Since I've never read - or seen - the whole book, I cannot say for sure if it has a point and what it is.

As for the fairy tales, if you prefer those, you should probably check out "Little Red Riding Hood" by the same poet - I posted the link earlier. It has a "point at the end. Good guy gets it all." You might even like it. Roald Dahl, apparently, had rewritten many fairy tales.

Can lots of this at young age hurt in future?
Probably, just like lots of anything else. Why there should be lots of this, or anything else? A child should be exposed to a variety of experiences. And of course, at an appropriate age for each one of them.

As for the fairy tales, and I am not talking only Grimm brothers, they are, in a way, a controversial kind of art. You should take into account the following points:

1) Many fairy tales were not initially intended for children at all. Not all of them have a good ending. At some times in the history, it was also not considered a bad idea to tell children scary tales with a bad ending. A lot of tales printed nowadays are adapted for children, according to modern beliefs.

2) As for "good guy gets it all", in some tales so much cruelty is happening on both sides (in some cases even practically unprovoked), that it could be hard to tell who is the good guy here. Sometimes good or bad guys are distinguished only by the author's initial idea, or just "poor is good, reach is bad", and so on.

All of the above doesn't mean that I am completely against fairy tales. I just screen them for appropriateness, just as about any other reading material for children. Later in life, though (each child might have a different age for this) children can read a wider range of books and pass their own judgment.

And the fact that I liked "The Crocodile" doesn't mean that I am ready to read it to a young child at a bedtime right away.

It meant that I started a research on the author, and found many different pieces, both appropriate and not, and learned a lot myself (and some of them you, too, may find, do have a point). But I probably will look for age-appropriate children’s books of this author in the library or book stores. Because children should also read/listen to talented books, not just any mediocre book with a point.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Hi Stella,

glad to have put you on a roald dahl track by just posting this poem. Thanks for the star. I was not aware, that it was from Roald Dahl.

I was introduced to that poem in an english lesson at school (I'm german) at age 17 I think. It was not the difficulty level of the poem, the vocabulary was well know, it was just some entertaining side lesson.

The intended audience for that poem should not be derived from the fairy tale kind of language used in it alone. It's of course black humor in it's finest form to focus on the ridiculos choice of the right spice in the brutal act of eating children. But when read to a child it might even take away a childrens fear of monsters in another way as that disney movie "Monsters Inc.".

TV shows and comics/animation film series are much more drastic than this and rated to be acceptable for children.
For example the lord of the ring films were rated to be viewable for children of age 6+ here in germany, on the condition to watching it together with the parents.

I remember as I was somwhere from 7-9 I still was easily frightened by spooky stories. My father cured me from that with some stories and I think it was that, which later never made horror movies or even worse splatter movies appealing to me, as I learned on a very simple level, that it's just the pure shocking effect, quite idiotic and nothing to be frightened of.

There are more intelligent stories not showing any act of brutality which cause much more fright. And Roald Dahl surely is more on the comical side of horror stories, blackest humor.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

sidenote: If I hadn't learned better her, I would've thought growing pains to be something else too. More like the PITA acronym. ;-)

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Ladyazh]

Stella, I do nor recall me dismissing a whole poet base on one poem. Wasn't I speaking of this particular poem? I was.
I did not think after reading 'crocodile' that I want to know more about a poet. So I simply stated that I do not think it was funny nor intelligent IMHO. I do not like subject of 'fun eating children'. Period! It is just my moral standarts but it is just me and I can be missing on some fun so I wish I loved it but thanks, no, thanks.