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Saturday, November 24, 2007
Colleges compete for the loyalty of a 4-year-old
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the last three years I’ve taken my daughter to at least one Georgia Tech game. My father, who is a Georgia Tech grad, wants all his grandchildren to see and enjoy his alma mater. But my 4-year-old son has refused to go.
We have begged him, bribed him, threatened him, but he was NOT going to see those Yellow Jackets play. In fact, he’s vowed that if he ever ran across ‘that bee’, as he calls Buzz, he would beat him up!
This is not the normal reaction of a 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old child. This is the reaction of a child who has been brainwashed by his Dawg-loving father to hate Georgia Tech. I don’t think it’s unusual for children to take on the views of their parents. They often reflect their parents’ thoughts on the arts, food, politics and even on negative things such as race.
I’ve heard from school teachers that they can often tell how parents are voting and what their general views are from what their children spout at school. Whether passively learned or actively taught, what’s talked about at home is there for teachers to hear.
Like all parents, I’m sure we’ve passed onto our kids some good things and some bad.
They know going to church is important to us. They know we don’t like clear-cutting trees to make new neighborhoods. And they know we are lucky to have warm clothes, warm food and a warm house, and we should share our blessings.
On the negative side, they know that their father likes Rihanna and the X-Box and they do too. (Neither of these is inherently bad, I’m just not sure they are appropriate for children.) For my own part, they know I tend to say bad words, which my children pick up sometimes. I’m working on that.
My son’s blind devotion to Georgia used to be cute. He wanted to wear white and red arm sweatbands like D.J. Shockley. He wore a Georgia football jersey every single day for at least half a year. (Note the photo on our blog site from two years ago. He’s in a red jersey.) But now his father’s fervent beliefs are creating an internal struggle that I don’t think a 4-year-old should have to deal with.
Michael was attending the Georgia-Kentucky game two Saturdays ago and I had planned to take Rose and the baby to see the Ga. Tech game with my parents. Walsh didn’t have a choice this year. There was no one to keep him. He was going to see Ga. Tech play.
I felt bad for the little guy. He didn’t want to have a good time. His loyalty was to his father. He resisted valiantly for a while. When the band was welcoming the team he ignored them. When the Rambling Wreck drove down the street and onto the sidewalk right in front of us, he hid behind a pole. When that bee came over, he refused to get near him. He wouldn’t hug him or pose for a photo. But when his guard was down and he didn’t think anyone was watching, he was smiling and shaking his booty to the band. His eyes widened when he saw the band playing en masse in their bright white uniforms on the steps in front of the stadium.
What truly broke him down though was Georgia Tech’s FanFest. Across from the stadium, were four blow-up bouncy activities. He completely acquiesced. (Maybe the CIA should try those on Al-Qaeda operatives. They’ll crack just like the 4-year-old.)
As with all indoctrination, kids get older and learn to think for themselves. Even at 6, my daughter has figured out that she can drive her father crazy by telling him she’s rooting for Georgia Tech or even worse that she loves those Gators. Hopefully, my son will be more receptive to that bee as he grows older.
