It’s Whatever Wednesdays. After the long article about Artificial Intelligence on Monday, we’re going to dial it back for a more relaxing post.
So pour some coffee and hear a little about me and my boss (my three year old daughter).
My Three Year Old Daughter
If you’ve read my About page, you’ll notice that I’m married, with a beautiful wife and two awesome kids. For a little more background, I have a daughter and a son.
My daughter was born during my neuroradiology fellowship in Maryland. We were lucky in the sense that her birth coincided with the end of my wife’s fellowship. This allowed my wife ample time with my daughter before starting her first job. We’ve also been very lucky in that my daughter has always been very well-behaved, and pretty verbal from a young age.
My son just recently turned 1, and we’ve also been pretty lucky in that he has been well-behaved — so far. Recently, he’s starting walking (and running) and getting his hands into anything that isn’t bolted to the ground. For you ER and GI guys, don’t worry, any and all button batteries are hidden away with bags inside of bags, way out of reach of his little hands. Also, the key fobs to our cars are always hung up, out of his reach as well.
For those of you who don’t know, button batteries are absolutely the worst thing for your little guy (or girl) to swallow. If they become stuck in the esophagus, they can potentially burn through the esophagus causing significant damage. Reference
But I digress. The reason for this post was to talk about the wisdom of a three year old, my daughter. So here we go:
The Prince and Princess
At my daughter’s daycare, the teachers there told my wife, “Your daughter has been holding hands with a boy” with a little laugh and a smile.
So my wife asked my daughter, “Who are you holding hands with?”
“I hold hands with [boy’s name].”
“Why?”, my wife asked.
[deep in thought]
“I call him prince and he calls me princess, then we fall in love together.”
When my wife told me this story, I thought that there was some wisdom in it.
First of all, it reminded me of this Beetles song. “I Want To Hold Your Hand“. That’s all you need to start a relationship, whether it’s a friendship or something more.
More so than that, my daughter reasoned that she calls him “prince” and he calls her “princess” and so that act makes them fall in love together.
Now, isn’t that something close to saying, “love someone who treats you like a princess”? I think so.
Sometimes we feel all these convoluted and conflicted feelings as we get older, but maybe we just need to step back and think like my daughter:
“Does he treat me like a princess?”
Batman versus Superman
Recently we watched Batman versus Superman. She didn’t like it at first, she felt they were “both bad”. They kept hitting each other for no reason, why do they keep doing that? Trying to explain why Batman and Superman, who are supposed to both be good guys, to my daughter was no easy task.
After the movie ended I asked her, “Who do you like better, Batman or Superman?”
“Wonder Woman!”, she replied.
Interesting, I thought. She liked the strong female character, even though it was only a cameo role. I am glad she identifies with her.
“Daddy, is Wonder Woman like Superman?”
I replied, “No, Wonder Woman is a demigoddess, and Superman is an alien, he’s from another planet.”
My daughter, ever the talker, paused, deep in thought.
“Superman and Wonder Woman should fall in love together.”
So what is the take away message here? It’s subtle, but it’s important.
When you’re 3 years old, even if someone tells you that two people are different, that doesn’t matter.
Wonder Woman is a demigoddess and Superman is an alien… and my daughter probably doesn’t truly understand what that means. However, she does understand that makes them different from one another. Nonetheless, she thinks Superman and Wonder Woman should fall in love together, just because. Now, I am sure Lois Lane might not like this idea, but hey, she’s 3.
So rather than focus on our differences, maybe we should think like my daughter. They can be together, just because.
TL;DR
Think like a three year old:
Sometimes all you need to hold someone’s hand.
“I call him prince and he calls me princess, then we fall in love together.”
In a world of Superman and Batman, be Wonder Woman.
“Superman and Wonder Woman should fall in love together.”
—
Side note: Be aware of the dangers of button batteries.
-Sensei
Agree? Disagree? Questions, Comments and Suggestions are welcome.
You don’t need to fill out your email address, just write your name or nickname.