One of my 4 and a half year old nephew’s Christmas presents was a switchblade comb – wildly inappropriate, thoroughly amusing. He ran around the house whipping it open and menacing folks, having a grand old time.
Some while later, I caught my six year old daughter attempting to trade him a gold drawstring bag of Hanukah gelt AND a pirate charm for the switchblade. I put a stop to it – thinking it’s kind of unseemly to trade out your Christmas presents on the very day on which you receive them – not to mention the fact that I really didn’t need to have a switchblade living under our roof.
Later, when I asked her about it – amused, mind you, not rattled or horrified – she explained that “Tiny didn’t want to trade because he already had a bag of gelt”. Okay then.
There’s some moral in here about capitalism and big bags of money and giving the people what they want, but I can’t figure it out.
11 January 2010
Trading
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14 comments:
I never knew such a thing existed. One more thing to keep out of my house. Everything eventually becomes a weapons with my boys anyway.
I love the switchblade comb! I seem to remember that everyone had them when I was little. I think the lesson is that if you want to trade for something cool, don't offer chocolate that tastes like wax.
Or maybe it's that I should get a switchblade comb and then go see if any of the Wall St. bankers want to trade their bonuses for it.
and I can't believe I failed to comment on the fart pen...
I remember having a switchblade comb as a kid. Thought it was so cool, even though I didn't know what a real switchblade was!
thankfully Phoebe has yet to ask me for a gun. I wouldn't even give her a chocolate. Not for fear I'd be sending some kind of bad message but fear that I would eat it.
That is all kinds of awesome.
Wonder if the local mall cops would arrest Boo for having one of those...
Thing is, they're just going to make a switchblade comb out of found objects around the house if you don't give them one. It's the toy gun rule, dontcha know. And, I guess Tiny didn't need TWO bags of gold when one would do.
That switchblade comb is very cool.
You know what my life needs? A switchblade comb. If the kid wants anything from Swits as fair trade, let me know.
I hate to confess it ... but I think at least one of my kids would have just swiped the switchblade comb after negotiations failed!
I've never seen a switchblade comb, but my son has been growing his hair i.e. refusing to get it cut (which I find amusing and my husband finds infuriating), and we were wondering why his bangs were all choppy and uneven until he mentioned that he'd tried to comb them with Poppa's comb, and we realized he'd unwittingly used my Dad's razor comb. Thank goodness it was Angus that tried it and not Eve....
Wonder if candy cigarettes would have been an acceptable trade.
If it would mean Z would let me comb her hair without having a screaming tantrum, I'd get her a switchblade comb in a heartbeat.
ha, my head is spinning in a big wtf storm. switchblade comes and bags of money...ah, christmas.
xo
erin
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