7/22/2007
7:07 am
Miss Potter Doesn’t Have Any Guns
I recently sat down with Caleb(6) and Elijah(4 1/2) to watch the movie, “Miss Potter.” I have been a fan of Beatrix Potter my whole life and have of course read the tales of Peter Rabbit, Jemimah Puddle Duck, Samuel Whiskers and all their friends to my sons. I thought they would enjoy the story behind the stories. Another attracive feature of the movie for little boys, I thought, is that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) plays in it.
The movie is a thoroughly enjoyable true story about the life of an artist, naturalist, and children’s author. Beatrix Potter was a brilliant, modern woman living in Victorian England. She remains the most successful classic children’s author of all time. Her stories have been translated into more than 30 languages and it’s hard to find a child anywhere who has not heard of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. In addition to all that, the movie was beautifully made and filmed on location in the Lake District.
About thirty minutes into the movie, I noticed both of the boys starting to squirm and fuss. “Mommy,” Elijah said, “this movie is boring, no one is getting shot.” I couldn’t believe my ears. Has my 4 year old already been conditioned to only be entertained by violent movies? Are my children buying into that wretched part of American culture? Am I a failed mother? Where did we go wrong?
Or is it possible that my sons are not unlike the millions and millions of boys of the past, present and future? From toddler-hood they have been trying to kill themselves, and each other for that matter. My primary daily task as a mother has been to keep them alive. If they can climb on it, they will jump off it. They have made “guns” out of carrots, toothbrushes, and sticks. They pick up hamsters by the tail, throw rocks, play with fire, and slide down the stairs in sleeping bags. They get great pleasure out of irritating each other, their mom, dad, grandparents, teachers, and other children. Their life motto is, “Jump first, look second.”
As a marriage and family therapist I know that boys act like this because of the way they are neurologically wired and because of the influence of hormones that stimulate aggressive behavior. I wish I could say this knowledge has helped me when I’ve been at my wit’s end with them. It does give me some comfort though, that others have noticed this rascally behavior in boys.
Over 2,300 years ago Plato wrote, “Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.” And a little more recently, an insightful author told a tale of two little boys who couldn’t resist the temptation to risk everything by sneaking into Mr. McGregor’s garden just to steal a few vegetables. Their thoughtless, rambunctious actions nearly landed them in a pie. So, Elijah, I’m afraid “Miss Potter” doesn’t have any guns. But she does have a wonderful understanding of the nature of little boys. Thank you Beatrix for your astute perception and the creative way that you remind us that “Boys will be boys.”
Parents: A great website for your children to explore the world of Beatrix Potter with downloads, coloring pages, games, and of course stories is www.Peter Rabbit.com. Enjoy!
