Every now and then our man Henry Holbrook will say THE weridest things. He's like a fount of non sequiturs and has a really wild sense of imagination these days. So here are two tiny snippets of awesome that I just had to share-slash-document for time and all eternity, all thanks to Huck's preschool teacher, who emails us at the end of each day with some of the more random conversations from that day's class.
FIRSTLY, THIS ONE
(backstory: the children were discussing cork board, a new material to use in their classroom construction projects)
TEACHER
TEACHER
What do you notice when you look at it really closely?
STUDENT ONE
It has tiny holes.
STUDENT TWO
It's hard and floppy.
STUDENT THREE
It bends!
HUCK
Maybe some spiders live in there!!
LASTLY, THIS ONE
(backstory: it was a classmate's birthday, so the class was going around making birthday wishes for him)
TEACHER
I hope four is your best year yet!
STUDENT ONE
I hope you get a new toy!
STUDENT TWO
I hope you get a new book.
HUCK
I hope you travel to the jungle!
This is so cute, loved the book interview! -Hanna Lei
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ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting interview and pronouns can be confusing, so maybe I'm misinformed, but I think it's dangerous to assign a "we" to the notion of femininity. "We" as women don't like daisies and You've Got Mail, because I (and many others) don't give a hoot about either, albeit it (a specific to our culture) gender normative role. Just as you allow Huck to not be confined to strict gender roles (v. rad!), neither should say wanting to run races through the mud or watch political documentaries make anyone less of a woman (because those aren't not inherently feminine activities, aside from the way that we're raised and conditioned). I mean, I'm just getting into semantics - but feminism is all about choice. So whatever your interests are (be they daisies or tribal tattoos) more power to you. Being a mother is amazing (I admire what mothers do even if my choice as a woman is to not want to be one)! If a woman wants to say, be a Navy Seal instead, her success (along with the specific type of strength that takes) in doing so shouldn't be labeled a masculine characteristic. That only hurts the advancement of gender equality.
ReplyDelete"We all need to be proud of what we have. That's feminism."
DeleteDude, that's what she was saying. She didn't mean "we" like daisies, as in YOU like daisies because you're a woman, but that there are women who do like daisies and romantic comedies and the things that feminists can often make women feel guilty about liking because they are so stereotypically gender normative. It's all gravy, yo. Like what you like and own that shit. Let others do the same without judgment.
I thought the interview was great, Miss Natalie, it read like a proud mama gushing over her baby. You've got a brave + beautiful voice, the amount of thought that went into the words in your book is abundantly evident, and I can't wait to read them. In five days!
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DeleteAs the qualifiers tried to convey, my point was that it *comes across* as extremely loaded language which is something to be cautious of, specifically: " I wrote it was that being a woman and embracing the fact that we like things like daisies and “You’ve Got Mail,” there’s a power in that. " Clearly though, Natalie is a great writer with an articulate and strong voice.
DeleteIt comes off as loaded language to people looking for semantical triggers. It was an honest statement that came from the heart, over the phone, during her first ever book interview! WE women need to support each other, especially the women out there owning and talking about their individual womanhood. We do not need to be overly critical or diplomatic, we need open and relaxed conversations about having the freedom to be whomever it is we damn well please, be it florist or firefighter. We are all in this together.
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DeleteI couldn't agree more, and I don't think I was being harsh to Natalie, especially given that I made a point to say what a talented writer/great mother she is. But that doesn't mean there can't be an open dialogue on both sides. I'm sorry that you seem to have a negative view of feminists (e.g. "feminists can often make women feel guilty about liking because they are so stereotypically gender normative."), but I do think that semantics ARE important, particularly when it comes to gender equality and how people self-identify. No one's trying to persecute anyone, it's a simple dialogue. Have a great night. xoxo
Deletethis is SUCH an interesting discussion and i'm so glad to see such smart responses! for my part, I was definitely saying that those of us who DO enjoy the stereotypical "girly" things and have maybe felt guilty that we weren't putting on a police badge or heading up a hedge fund (because I do! I've always felt guilty that my ambitions haven't matched my views on feminism + equality and my former perception of what a "good feminist" should be doing--but I just want to hold babies all day, I can't help it!), that we don't need to feel in any way less of a feminist than our sisters defining cultural gender norms and making important strides for equal pay. does that make sense? that's the goal of feminism, for me. that idea that we are equal + powerful just because we are, with no qualifiers necessary. for my part, I need to learn to be more succinct! this one was a recorded phone interview that was transcribed for print, so a lot of my rambling, circular thoughts kind of got lost in all the excess verbiage. (haha, nothing new there!)
DeleteSome art to match the idea of your discussion: go look here, www.walkingwithteal.com/on-being-a-woman-defying-expectations/
DeleteThat is feminism to me: own it, flaunt it, speak it, dance it, whatever.
XO
Natalie, what a great interview! I'm so excited for your book.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your interview, Natalie! So smart and sweet as always, I absolutely can't wait to read the book.
ReplyDeleteHUCK! :) "i hope you travel to the jungle"... Now.. that's a birthday wish! :)
ReplyDeleteI love everything Huck-related. it always makes my day :)
ReplyDeleteI just read this article, and thought you might like it. I'm not even a mom, but I found it interesting.
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/03/we-live-in-an-age-of-irrational-parenting.html
Great interview! I pre-ordered your book and I can't wait for it to arrive! (btw, I've never pre-ordered a book in my life!).
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Huck has a super-uber-duper awesome teacher for sending you those little bits of conversation. How fun!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I LOVED your interview. What an exciting (scary) step! You are putting your Self on this wide open canvas where anyone can paint their thoughts on/around you. Scary, but BRAVE. And you did it so beautifully, so congrats. That's cool. You're cool.
XOXO
Erika from Utah
PS/ I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my copy of Hey Natalie Jean, eep!
You're brilliant and I love you.
ReplyDeleteso excited for your book! that interview was great, as is anything huck-related. c;
ReplyDeleteI just want you to know, Natalie, that my husband and I read your blog together as our nighttime entertainment sometimes. And his favorite posts are Huck posts. Keep being rad!
ReplyDeleteI love when you share his quotes!
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