For Your Amusement: KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

Last night on the NBC news they looked at what a group of sixth graders, who would normally be in class together, had to say about their situation since their school has been closed. The network had a reporter interview them using a Zoom teleconference. One child said he was bored. No surprise there. Another child claimed she felt lonely. Again, pretty much as expected. A third child said she found the changes confusing. Many adults have become confused filtering through the different messages our leaders present.

Then a friend sent me a text with this tweet from actor Treat Williams. My friend remarked, “Great analogy.” I have no idea how old Williams’s son is, or if he even knows what an analogy is, but having had students who tried to fake their way through their book reports there was no doubt he nailed this analogy. I’d go even further and say that Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Disease, whose face has been all over the news, looked like the brilliant student who had reread his book several times and prepared a complete, thorough and inspiring report, but conceded a few points to the unprepared student for fear of being bullied. In similar fashion, the other face we see nearly every day, Dr. Deborah Birx, who was the U.S. Global Aids Coordinator until Vice President Pence tapped her to be Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, watched the faker muddle through and in an effort to save him from embarrassment tried to look accepting and find one correct statement to provide a little encouragement in hopes that maybe next time the student will be better prepared. Having taught for thirty years I know this expression quite well.

We know THE DJT often fails to prepare, preferring to go with what his gut tells him. But, I realized reading what Treat Williams’s kid had to say about his behavior made me recognize how much he resembles a television character from my childhood. No, it’s not the host of The Apprentice. The show I’m thinking of was years earlier. Howdy Doody was a show hosted by Buffalo Bob Smith and featured Clarabell the Clown, whose bright orange hair and pantomimes remind me of the gesticulating THE DJT. Like Clarabell, THE DJT likes to blow his horn. One huge difference, however, is Clarabell was mute.

A segment of a show from that same era, Art Linkletter’s House Party, was called Kids Say the Darndest Things. When I saw the tweet about what the Williams’ boy said, I went searching for what kids are saying about COVID-19, but came up empty. A lot of what to say to your kids, but none of what kids are saying about their newly restricted world.

I’m sure some of it might be truly insightful. So, if you have kids or grandkids who offer some of those gems, please share them with us in the comments section. Thank you.