The Simpsons. Family Guy. Big Bang Theory. Even getting the
names of 3 TV shows for my opening hook was an exercise in heavy thinking- and
most of those are old titles. We’ve never had TV before Abidjan. Of course,
we’ve heard of the shows and watched them out at friends’ houses, but when I
asked Nabih for the names of some of his favorite current TV shows, all the
ones he gave me were in French (which I secretly love though probably couldn’t
begin to spell.) Watching TV in French is something of a challenge for us all.
But it’s good for our French. It’s also
been good for bringing up conversations about topics I might not have thought
to bring up otherwise.
Nabih still prefers cartoons and is most likely to be found
watching Camp Lake Bottom or Oggy et Les Kafars- a Tom and Jerry-ish
cartoon that features a cat and three annoying bugs. (Honestly, he is a
die-hard Big Bang Theory fan, which we have on USB for some reason. We have 6
seasons- in English. He is more likely to be found watching that if a computer
is available.) Mohamed prefers the
sports or music channels. When he is in control, we are watching a soccer game,
music videos on Trace Africa or something athletic on Trace Sports Star (I’m
not sure what the Trace connection is.) One of our favorites is the Top 20
lists that feature different topics about famous athletes: bad eaters, bizarre
facts, cheaters, bad habits, most involved in a charity, stuff like that.
Since we all pretty much believe Mohamed is going to be a
famous soccer player one day (Insha’Allah)
the lists have opened up the path for discussing how to handle stardom (sure to
be good advice for becoming a decent, average person as well, in the event the
whole famous thing doesn’t work out.) We’ve discussed bad habits like spitting
(he’s promised not to be a spitter if he makes it to the big leagues,) how to
deal with the paparazzi (patience, disguises and body guards over anger and
violence) and wayward fans (I am still in shock over this story, Mohamed’s only
strategies for dealing with this kind of behavior is to run and duck. I
probably can’t offer any better advice.)
Conversations like these have helped me to understand who
his role models are and the influence they have on him. Happily I see that he
is pretty good at mixing his personal values with characteristics he admires to
create a fairly decent profile of the man he hopes to be. I also like that he is aware of and has begun
to consider the pressures people face- and how it intensifies the more popular
you become. Who knew the side effects of
TV could be so deep reaching?
On the rare occasion when I am in control, I generally seek
out news. On a lucky day I can find news in English. We have been so immersed
in French that hearing news in English feels like a treat. Everything else
about it is depressing. Ukraine, Palestine, Guinea. Between war, illness and airline crashes
there’s not much positive coming out of the news today. Taking it all in one afternoon,
Nabih posed the question out loud that we all grapple with privately. Why is
there so much war and fighting?
Mohamed’s analogy in response was simple and to the point.
“Well, it’s about space. Everyone wants their own space. For example, you want
your own room, right? So it’s like you have to fight to get it. And once you
have it, you have to protect it so no one else will move into your room.” The essence of war reduced to 9-year-old
terms.
In addition to the new experience of raising a teenager, I
am reliving the joy of late childhood albeit with the electronic twist of the 21st
century. Nabih is all about video games (though he somehow manages to maintain
his love of reading.) While I remain a bit confused about what kind of skills
he is developing and of what value they might be, we have found a place to meet
and have fun together- electronic board games.
So far, he has Life and Monopoly- childhood classics. I
enjoy the fact that all the pieces are intact- no one can borrow the Monopoly
money for a game of Store or Gangster and then lose half of it under the couch
or accidentally leave it in a pocket where it gets washed in the machine. The
graphics in the Life game are especially fun for me as they resemble exactly
the board game. As you drive around the board, the seasons change- I love the
snowing area which makes me feel all cool and cozy and Christmassy without
really being cold. No little people pegs get lost and the spinner never flies
out of the holder (although one might argue that was one of the more
interesting aspects of the game.)
Of course, the automatic banking system is both a positive
and a negative. While things go much faster, no one has to calculate any math,
which was, from a parent/teacher perspective, one of the benefits of playing
the game.
There are a few other strategy games, a building game, and a
virtual reality game that allows Nabih to construct imaginary worlds. I
realized these games are similar to what we did as kids when we played with
dolls or Matchboxes. The difference is he doesn’t have to scrounge for old
boxes or cool pieces of hardware to serve as tables and chairs and couches.
As the summer winds down and we get ready to start new
routines, one of which may very well include home schooling, I’ll be searching
for the moral in the mundane, on the lookout for those teachable moments
lurking just inside the ordinary experience. And while I’ll be happy to see screen time
reduced to a minimum, I’m going to try and remember that there might be a
lesson to learn there as well.
