- 8/30/2008 10:00:00 PMKen and BarbiePeggy took Michael to the store and purchased a "Ken" doll for him. Michael and Ellie often like to play with all of the Barbie toys. There is the house, the car, horses and all the accessories that go with them. Over the years we have acquired many other Ken dolls but they have all seen their best days. Some of their heads pop off, limbs are damaged, hair is missing... If you have children who own such dolls you know what I'm talking about.
So Michael gets a new Ken doll and he is loving it. He now has a male character of his own and can play without having to "borrow" one that belongs to the girls. Everyone knows the story of Ken and Barbie, but to Michael, along with being Barbie's mate, he is also a secret agent, combat ranger, pilot, super-hero... you name it. But whether the two doll characters are married, dating, or just friends, Ken goes with Barbie like peas go with carrots. In today's episode of Ken and Barbie, they are married and Barbie has a new baby.
In the world of the eight year old, babies just "magically" appear. Ken and Barbie get married, there is brief talk of how many children there will be and then the babies just seem to exist. It is widely known that for a short time they are in their mom's tummy but without explanation, all of the sudden, they are there - in the crib or carriage with a diaper and bottle. Sometimes they can talk or even walk. It seems that sometime during the play, Michael explained and demonstrated to Ellie, (using Ken and Barbie), how the "magic" actually happens.
Both of them came out from the play area and Ellie announced that Barbie had a baby. It was not long before Peggy quickly separated the two of them and took Michael outside for some in-depth questioning. It would seem that when he was eight (2 years ago) during his stay at the orphanage in Cheboksary, Michael observed some things no eight year old should be observing. What he saw involved one of the boys we met while we were over there. Apparently, this other boy punched and hit Michael to ensure his keeping quiet about the event and the forbidden knowledge he just acquired.
Afterwords, Michael - along with the couple involved in the incident mentioned above - and some other children took the opportunity to watch some movies at the orphanage that are not appropriate for anyone much less children. I'm wording this in such a way as to avoid having this blog post draw the attention of any person searching for inappropriate material.
After the movies, Michael along with another female resident proceeded to the bushes to try out their newly acquired skills. It would seem that the bushes just outside the building are the ideal setting for young romance.
All of this raises many questions such as:
- Who was supervising you? (no one it seems or at least no one who cared)
- What time of day did this happen? (evening when most adults had gone home)
- Where did you get such movies? (based on what we saw with the music cd's they are readily available)
Unsure if he was telling the truth or just another story, Peggy asked more specific questions such as "how did you accomplish this?"
Michael explained what he knew in detail along with a short demonstration.
I feel sick. Ellie and Michael cannot play unsupervised any more.
This is not Michael's fault. This is the result of:
(Cultural Norm) + (Institutional Life) + (Lack of supervision)
I think I am beginning to formulate thoughts and opinions that are less than edifying. I hate what was done to Michael.
