I had a tea party with my granddaughter today. She's a few months short of five years old. She loves to play, as all kids that age do. And of course, Grandpa is a prime target as a play toy. She has a tea set with plates and cups and teapots. I was reading the internet news today and she came over to the computer and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was looking at the tea parties being held across the country. So naturally, and I should have known, she asked me to play tea party with her and her tea set. What could I say.
We sat down at her extremely small play table, me at 6'5", urging my limbs to bend into the proper positions. Somehow I managed and the tea party was on. My granddaughter, Angel, proceeded to prepare and pour the tea into our tea cups. Not one to miss an opportunity for education, I told Angel that today was tax day and certain people were holding tea parties across the country to protest the tax policies of this country.
I used to watch Art Linkletter's "Kids say the Darndest Things", when I was a teenager in the sixties. It was actually one of the first reality TV shows because you just didn't know what these kids would say. Well in keeping with this practice, my Angel responded to my educational efforts with this, "Grandpa, this is our tea party".
I didn't really know what to say to that. So I asked her what she meant. She said, "Don't worry about those tea parties, we have our own right here."
I realized what she was telling me. It's absolutely amazing what a four year old child can convey in their honest innocence. She was telling me that all this media coverage of tea parties, and the unrelenting diaries and media soundbites and commentators were all a waste of time. She was telling me that people simply don't understand the true nature of the New World Order and they are railing against the wrong things. My little Angel continues to amaze me.
Over fifty years ago, Art Linkletter had it right, Kids say the Darndest Things.