OleopteneA blog for Mara Collins

I loved this poem
and wanted Aodán to illustrate it or perhaps write another, but he told
me that writing that much caused his hand to hurt, and maybe if he had a
typewriter… don’t know the significance of the boxed words. If it’s hard to
read it’s:

after
drawing this picture Aodán expressed some reservations that perhaps he
was “too much like a girl” because he liked some things girls are supposed to
like, like beautiful flowers. Being very secure in my son’s masculinity, I was
actually grateful for the chance to discuss why some things are considered
“girl-ish” or not.

ok, this must
prove that Aodán really is a boy. The intense and everlasting interest
in robots is something I sort of understand but must admit was not part of my
childhood. Don’t know if this comes through or not but there’s a little
yellow-headed purple guy in the lower left corner and thought bubbles coming out
of his head to where the robot is. I believe the robot is holding some sort of
scooter or motorcycle.

Little
thumbprint boy is handing a little thumbprint girl flowers.

Aodán’s other big enterprise
this last week has been writing “relax” on popsicle sticks/tongue depressors and
then decorating them and calling them “relax sticks”. He tried to sell me one
for a dollar this morning, but since he’d already given me three free samples,
it just didn’t work.