As I was picking up our five-year-old daughter from kindergarten, the school principal called me over. Wordlessly, he handed me a drawing my daughter had made in art class. His expression was a mixture of awkward embarrassment, empathy, and a touch of dismay.
That night my wife and I examined the artwork and discussed at length what to do. Many minutes of strategizing resulted in the following conversation with our daughter while she sat on her mother’s lap at the kitchen table:
Me, placing the artwork on the table: “Hi, honey, tell me about this picture you drew at school today!”
Daughter: “Oh, I love that one! Do you like it?”
Me: “Yes! Can you tell me about it?”
Daughter: “I drew it in art class!”
Me: “Okay! So, tell me what you were drawing…”
Daughter: “We were drawing our favorite things!” My wife’s eyebrows shoot up. I frown and try to play it off as if I’m carefully examining the picture.
Me: “That sounds fun. What’s your favorite thing about this drawing, honey?”
Daughter: “Daaaddyyyy! You know! It’s a bun on a table!” Wife: bursts out laughing
Me: “Of course, honey! Great job!”
Uf.
Thank you so much for your support, this motivates me to put more effort into my translations.