Red, Ned, Fred, and Dad in bed

"Why don't you ever put any of MY articles in the newspaper?" complained Ellen, my seven year old. Well, first of all because I don't own a newspaper, I no longer even get my articles published in one and what she thinks is an article is a cartoon.

Ellen liked 'Hop on Pop' "back when she was a little kid," although she's much less of a Seuss fan now. But she saw me posting my homage to Seuss that represented the danger that "conservative" Christians run of damaging their credibility by throwing their lot in with the likes of other Republican interest groups. Obviously a seven year old doesn't understand the nuances of political satire or (thank God) the sexual innuendo implicit in the idiom "to be in bed with someone."

But being the doting Daddy, I do what I can, so here (in partial homage now to Bill Keane) I present my daughter's cartoon, which as far as I know, has no intended political commentary or opinion. Her Mom thinks that the giant peppermint with wings on the bed's headboard represents "visions of sugar plumbs dancing in their heads." No comment from the artist herself on the accuracy of that interpretation- Christmas, after all was now almost a month ago.

This, you should know, is not the work as it was originally intended. Annamarie, Ellen's four year old little sister, found the drawing sitting around and took it upon herself to "color" it. She had shaded the right hand side of the bedspread (blanket? Quilt?) before a livid Ellen caught her and ordered her out of her life forever. Personally, I think she did a pretty good job of staying inside the lines for a four year old, although instead of just pencil, I would've chosen a crayon or marker to give the thing some actual color. But what do I know? I'm just the Dad.

Another possible interpretation: Ellen did tell me that the second person in from the left has an ice pack on their head, so I'm wondering if THAT person is supposed to be either me or my wife and the other three represent our daughters- as in "these kids are giving me SUCH a headache!"

Just a theory.