Two rabbits with one stone

Sara and I have been having numerous conversations recently about how silly puberty is. She just doesn’t want to be a teenager. Some of this concerns the fact that her older brother is a teenager. Most of it concerns the fact that German high school starts in grade five. So, ten-year-olds are faced (brutally, in my opinion) with a whole range of challenges: learning to cope in the world of teenagers and young adults at an age where, in many cultures, they are still allowed to be children.

Sara has even noticed how already some of her classmates' attention, conversation, and competition are all focused on boys. She thinks this is so stupid and is generally appalled that the girls would waste their time with that stuff. I have been trying to figure out what I can do except lend her a sympathetic ear and came up with the idea of making her a collage poster. It is supposed to be a celebration of childhood.

At work we have just installed the most amazingly printer that can print mega marvellous posters! I am hoping that it isn't too terrible if I print one poster for a good cause.

So, killing two rabbits (birds) with one stone, I made Sara up this poster today.


The text is to be recited phonetically. It is a nonsense text Sara picked from one of her children’s quotes and poem books.

I originally wanted to write something sentimental and “meaningful”, but she rejected that notion immediately. She said if it was sentimental, she wouldn’t look at it because that would make her cry. Gosh, she sure has here share of those Irish and Italian genes?