Comments on: Child delivers balloon-inspired call for empathy to father

By: Donald Petersen

Donald Petersen — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:14:00 +0000

My kids (5 and 2) have become fairly enthusiastic dead-balloon poppers, particularly after Grandma sent them a box of balloons with tiny prizes instead that were only retrievable by popping. My son really loves to sit on a balloon and pop it with a ballpoint pen. My daughter (the 5-year-old) is slightly more sentimental, so when they got haircuts last week, and the balloons they scored at the barbershop wilted to the floor the next day, my son eagerly popped his, then kept asking his sister if he could pop hers, to no avail. He ended up feeling kinda glum that he had no more POP to look forward to, but she still has hers.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:09:00 +0000

You have a hidden basement?

Do you have the Maker plans for that?

By: squidfood

squidfood — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:04:00 +0000

chgoliz has got it.

1. Every so often, sweep the house for old/broken toys. They go in the Hidden Basement Box.

2. Once a year or so, throw away everything in the box that’s been there a few months.

3. On the rare occasion that a toy is remembered without being seen, well, it can’t be found at first, but it magically appears a little later.

By: John Maple

John Maple — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:28:00 +0000

Bless that girl!

By: fight4paece

fight4paece — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:29:00 +0000

Some little girl and her dad deserve a screening of Logan’s Run.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:20:00 +0000

There’s a short story about the life of a conifer from the conifer’s viewpoint. It starts out in the happy forest, gets cut down and becomes a Christmas tree, gets shoved into the attic for a while and is finally burned. It’s pretty much the most depressing and horrifying thing that I’ve ever read.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:37:00 +0000

He probably doesn’t have much to worry about. I’m pretty sure it’s less trendy to address older gentlemen as “Pop” than it used to be.

By: Velocirapt42

Velocirapt42 — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Benedict XVI, watch out!

By: Hanglyman

Hanglyman — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:56:00 +0000

If you pope those balloons, she’ll make your life a nitmare.

By: BookGuy

BookGuy — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:42:00 +0000

One of the most fascinating things I’ve learned from my sister’s kids is that they have an innate, psychic ability to suddenly become re-aware of an old party favor/decoration/whatever the day after you’ve thrown it out, and then responding to that item’s loss with great emotional distress.

By: pjcamp

pjcamp — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:19:00 +0000

She’s got a point. Nobody likes getting royed.

By: jeligula

jeligula — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:13:00 +0000

Heh heh. Served by an eight year old girl. Classic.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:47:00 +0000

I was fascinated with helium as a kid.
It would be terrible if there was a ban on helium balloons.

The price should be tripled as incentive to conserve.
Waste of helium is largely US taxpayer funded.

By: Mitch_M

Mitch_M — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Give the child the option of untying the balloon knots so they can be refilled and see if that makes her more amenable to popping them.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:07:00 +0000

I love that she couldn’t speak her distress but she was able to find another way to communicate. Could be innate, but I’ll bet her parents had a hand in helping her develop the psychological ability and the practical tools to express herself. Good on ya, Simonhac.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:07:00 +0000

The trick is: you hide them somewhere for a while (depending on the age of the kid and therefore the longevity of their memory) before actually throwing them out.

By: Namnezia

Namnezia — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:59:00 +0000

I totally empathize with the dad here. It’s like trying to figure out how long do you let party favors given to your kid bounce around the house underfoot before you can toss ‘em out. Kids are true agents of chaos – distributing junk in unpredictable manner throughout your house.

By: marukosu

marukosu — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:41:00 +0000

I’m picturing a multicolored droopy balloon wall of sadness.

By: quickgold1928

quickgold1928 — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:27:00 +0000

And old you are, indeed. I believe ” you insensitive clod” is the ornery great-great-great-grandfather of today’s tired “a scholar and a gentleman.”

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:04:00 +0000

If I hit 80 I’m ready to go…I mean maybe science will be better by then, but right now 80 sounds like a solid check out point.

By: awjt

awjt — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Egg cell lint, knock two loose Ent.

By: Kris N

Kris N — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:43:00 +0000

My mother used to drain the helium out and then hang up the balloons as wall decorations in my room. That way I got to keep them and she didn’t have to worry about dead balloons rolling around. Everyone wins.

By: alxr

alxr — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:39:00 +0000

[Insert comment here about how the little minx is unacceptably uppity, and needs to be taught filial respect lest she express an interest in boys/girls during her teenage years.]

By: Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Or an acetylene balloon which can turn a Buick into Jiffy-Pop

http://youtu.be/0fWBINa7cxI

By: Noctilucent Studios

Noctilucent Studios — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:25:00 +0000

I also read that as roped…and that is the Shanghai World Financial Center.

By: Jason Baker

Jason Baker — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Why are we assuming the missing letter is a “p” and not an “o” instead? I mean, other than the context of the story, of course. As I get older, I find myself getting po0ped more easily, not popped. And I mean pooped as in tired, you insensitive clod.

By: 10xor01

10xor01 — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Right on! Hydrogen is even lighter, and much more abundant. They should use it instead. What could possibly go wrong?

Sorry, couldn’t resist. I’m all for a helium balloon ban.

By: snagglepuss

snagglepuss — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:59:00 +0000

“Would you like it if just because you were getting old you got pop(p)ed ?”

An eminently fair question. Good on yer daughter. I myself am dreading getting tubed or hosed when codgerdom overtakes me.

By: Diogenes

Diogenes — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Very smart, sweet kid. I predict great things from her.

By: awjt

awjt — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:53:00 +0000

man I thought it was raped misspelled as roped… and is that New World Trade Center stationery?