 I am a proud mother of two fine children. One is a budding Picasso, the
other the next Olympic gold medalist in downhill skiing. That they are
five and three respectively
makes no difference. Excellence is within their grasp.
My five-year-old received a subscription to Highlights recently. She
loves reading the stories, figuring out the puzzles, and imaging what
artwork she might submit to their "Our Own Pages" section which
features subscribers latest drawings. I got the idea that entering a
contest would unleash her creative spirit and give her the
gratification of knowing that other people think she can draw pretty
well, too. Then I came across another children's magazine which had a
similar contest. The grand prize was a weekend trip with Mom and Dad at
Eurodisney, the French version of Orlando's Disneyworld. I explained to
her the benefits of entering the contest. She'd get to travel to a
really neat place with lots of rides and candy.
"You'd even get to visit Mickey Mouse!" I exclaimed, watching images of
my daughter in a sundress whilst standing in the shadows of an enormous
animated Mickey Mouse in my mind's eye.
She looked up from her coloring book and said, "Who's Mickey Mouse?"
My jaw dropped. Had I heard her correctly? Who is Mickey Mouse? WHO IS
MICKEY MOUSE? I thought about the things I had taught my children up to
this point. We placed a large emphasis on my American culture because
it is the one "missing" on a daily basis. My husband, who is German, is
very supportive of my need to share my language and customs with the
kids. Where had I failed? We speak English at home, visit my family in
Virginia once a year, read English stories outloud and watch American
videos. My daughter could tell you the colors of the American flag (and
even how many stars it has, thanks Highlights!). I'm even certain she
wouldn't recognize the German flag, if she saw it. But Mickey? I felt
strangely betrayed. I wasn't sure if I had imparted the right things
about the American culture on my offspring. Mickey had been my hero.
When asking her who her favorite figure was, she hugged her stuffed
horse and said "Mormie." (the horse). I suppose Mickey will have to
wait. The good news is her grandfather lives within minutes of the
pearly gates of Disney in Orlando. There is hope for her yet!
 Christine Louise Hohlbaum
www.DiaryofaMother.com
American author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff
and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe (2005), has been
published in hundreds of publications.
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