Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Deep Thoughts with Nathan Lawrenson


So, Tricia was just flipping through the tv channels, and Arthur was on PBS, and we just caught a few seconds of it, and some little monkey girl was asking her parents if they could go to the pet shop.

Why does a show about talking, walking, human-like animals have a pet shop? That seems more than a little demented to me...

And, for that matter, what's the deal with Pluto and Goofy?

Thanks, and please don't take me seriously.

Nate

100 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow. your just as deep as me.lol. This is bad. I never comment and now two in one day.Kay. maybe you have some insight on this too... I have always wondered. how do babies think? we think in English... and babies are born not knowing a languages so they cant think- ooh whats that...or hey thats pretty. is it just nothingness in thier heads?? I often wondered that .hmmm. good point on the why do they have pet shops thing.

GAV said...

Good point... wow! Now you have me pondering the meaning of life and all that matters....

Take care,

halfdozn said...

I think people who would take seriously the questions you posed have absolutely no sense of humor!

Stacemoe said...

You are too too funny!!! Thanks for making me smile.....it also always made me wonder why if places like 7-11 and IHOP are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, why are there locks on the doors?

Kelly said...

welcome to the world of children's cartoons. my boys are watching Little Bear right now and the characters, Rooster, Duck, Cat, Owl, Hen, and Little Bear, are all the same height. hmmm. pet shops for animal shoppers is only the beginning for you! :)

Carol said...

Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet! By the time Gwyneth is ten years old, you will be SO sick of the Nickolodean channel, you won't believe it! But,some of the little kids' shows are really cute. And you will learn to HATE McDonald's.

Heather's Haven said...

good times.... and just for the record, they're aardvarks, not monkeys ;) sad that I know, but oh well. useless parenting knowledge.

Amy said...

While you are pondering the pet shop problem you could also mull over why Donald Duck never wears trousers but always wraps a towel round his waist after a bath/shower?!
I think I have too much time on my hands... :-)
Lovely to see you all home by the way.

Coach Prentice said...

Aw, we love Arthur and so will Gwyneth!

Amy E. said...

I so needed that laugh this week! If we really stop and pay attention...our world is really ironic, odd and HILARIOUS!!!

Liz Ferguson said...

Lol :)

Meg said...

Yes, I have often wondered the same thing about Goofy and Pluto. ;)

Donna said...

Speaking of demented, Nate... Have you ever seen the Teletubbies on PBS? Very troubling...

But your sister is right! We love Arthur too!

Risa said...

And why is it on Blue's clues that everyone including the salt and pepper shakers can speak... but Blue can't? and for that matter, why is Blue a girl? I mean I understand Magenta being a girl... but seriously wouldn't you assume Blue to be a boy? Hmm... too much toddler tv making brain mush again.

Risa

Unknown said...

Have you seen the TELETUBBIES???

Our Two Blessings From Above said...

Just wait till Gwyneth starts watching all these shows.
You will be watching them too.

I use to watch Barney and know all of his songs and dances. Yikes!

It is so much fun to see the world through a childs eyes.

Heather said...

Oh, dear. If you think Arthur is odd, just wait for what is in store for you in the years to come.

Check out Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon. And kids love it :)

Alice said...

I had to LOL at your post. My husband and I were just talking about the crazy idea of Pluto and Goofy. We have an almost three year old so it is on a lot in our house (Arthur too).

Jen said...

HAHAHA

Momof2bz said...

It does make you wonder doesn't it? Did you ever wonder why drive-up ATM's have Braille? That always made me wonder. It's nice to see that the lack of sleep isn't making you weird or anything.

Joy said...

LOL!! You made me smile :)

Anonymous said...

Really strange that you brought up Pluto and Goofy - Casey and I just watched "Stand By Me" for like the hundredth time last night and in the scene when all the boys are sitting 'round the camp fire talking that is the one question that keeps coming up. Hmm....

ditarae said...

Why the pet shop, indeed. Perhaps the warped logic lies in the fact that creator Marc Brown is from Erie, PA, the land before time, in which right seems wrong, and wrong seems right. Perhaps when this town catches up with the rest of the country (which will actually be NEVER, as we're perpetually about 20 years behind), some sense will come of it all! ha ha! I laugh, because I'm trapped here... and if you don't laugh, you cry--boo hoo! ;-)
Happy Day! Great to know you're all home and doing well!

Shari said...

Laughing! Who would seriously take you seriously? I can't stand Arthur! Please tell me Gwyneth is banned from viewing that show and Calliou about a bratty little boy who whines when he never gets his way!

Kim said...

Perhaps they sell humans as pets. :)

Arthur frightens me, only because I look like his little sister. At Bible study last year, for my birthday, they had these smiley-face balloons, and they drew glasses and girl hair on one for me, and I looked exactly like DW. It was scary. I can't look at Arthur in the same way since.

halfdozn said...

One of the best things about having teens/young adults is not having to listen to cartoons or Barney or read Sesame Street books -- the worst example of literature on earth!

Christina said...

LOL!!! I've always wondered the same thing....

Cindy said...

LOL To funny! Welcome to the world of parent hood. McDonalds is a 5 star find dinning resturant, cartoon animals talk, the cat is the one who knocked over the lamp and broke it, Disney movies are Saturday evening entertainment.
Being a parent is the BEST!
Enjoy every minute with Gwyneth she's a beauty!

Oma & Opa said...

Sometimes thinking about cartoons can drive you mad! I mean take Donald Duck, why doesn't he wear pants if he's going to wear a shirt or why does Mickey Mouse have shoes but not Donald?
Our computer was down for awhile so I have just caught up with your blog. I am so happy for you. Having your wife and baby home with you is such a great thing. I have been praying for you all. I love the pictures that you post. God has truly blessed you and Tricia with a precious gift of life known as Gwyneth. Enjoy every moment with her for she will grow fast and one day you will wonder where all the time went as she leaves home for college or to get married.
My prayers continue for you all.

marcia said...

Fyi, and maybe someone else has already mentioned this detail... I think Arthur and family are aardvarks...not that that changes the premise of your question one iota!! :):) Whatever you do, Nate, just stay away from Teletubbies...that show is just sick and wrong! :):) Wait till you see how much Sesame Street has upgraded since you were a kid...but Big Bird, Ernie, Bert and Oscar are still there (along with a gazillion new furry critters whose names you will soon be learning!)

AlaneM said...

Reminds me of a convorsation I had in HS about smurfette. Had she been smurfing around? Where exactly had baby smurf come from?
Ahhh, the important questions in life.
:)

bdodge said...

We LOVE PBS. Soon you'll understand why...:)

megasam said...

That is so funny. I think the worst cartoon ever is Teletubbies. And second is The Wiggles, not a cartoon but sooooo annoying.

Crafty Mama said...

Hmmm....what do they have at a petstore on Arthur? Kid's shows are so confusing :)

Melissa said...

You haven't seen anything yet...go look up Yo! Gabba Gabba on youtube.

Anonymous said...

Ahh..but the Upside Down show ROCKS!!!!

Parenting toddlers turns your brain to mush!

North Carolina Mom said...

Hey maaaaan, don't knock Arthur! That is my favorite PBS kids television show and I am fairly certain if your daughter enjoys the wonders of PBS she will come to love Arthur too! In fact, just today I was singing a song from Artur:

"This is the story of a face on a cake! It belongs to, Buster Baxter! Buster Baxter-a baby bunny-was born eight years agooo! And all he did was cry and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and grow! -That's all he did!"

I forget the rest. Lol. Arthur is awesome!

:)

Kari said...

And then theres Oswald, a blue octopus that walks on 4 legs. He has a dog for a pet and a daisy and penguin for friends! Odd Nick Jr cartoon!

Elizabeth said...

If you think that's strange, you ought to check out Franklin on Noggin!!!

North Carolina Mom said...

I should add, we all ponder these things in the beginning. Welcome to parenthood. :) One day you will cry when your daughter says she is too old to watch one of those PBS or Disney or Nick shows that used to be her favorite. And in your mind you will go back through the photo strip of her childhood to the time when you paid over $100 to take her to see something and something Live!. You will, oh you will, and you will love every minute! That's the life of a mommy and daddy!

Angela R. said...

Your too funny!! You probably keep your two girls over ther laughing!!

-Angela

mel said...

I LOVE that I'm not the only parent that watches Noggin and Sprout!!! Their are some weird cartoons out there!! Strangely enough, some of them have even grown on me:) I'm not really sure what that says about me LOL! But I sure am glad you guys can sit around the tube and watch silly cartoons together!! Melissa

Christy Lockstein said...

And your time watching inane children's programming (not that Arthur is, Mia loves it) has just begun. Wait until you watch an entire episode of Yo Gabba Gabba or Johnny & the Sprites.

Shari said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The sad thing with TV for the younger set is when your little guys starting asking those sort of questions? Hummmmm, how should I answer that? When my son was only a toddler he very logically told me he thought I was crazy for believing in Santa. His words were "Why would a man I don't know buy me gifts and break into our house through the chimney?" Pf course along with ever parent in the world, I was teaching him not to speak to strangers or open the door to strangers. I could see his logic....very scary having kids smarted than parents...SO, sometime the people writing the cartoons need to take a step back and think logically :) You are going to have so much fun as a parent with your great sense of humor...

Christy said...

I'm with you brother. I wish you could see the shirt I have on. It has a whale jumping out of the water saying "Save the Humans." I wonder how many deep thoughts that will provoke????
Christy in KY

Anonymous said...

Well Nate, you see? There are Animals and animals. Goofy is an Animal, Pluto an animal. Simple, no?

Have you never read "Wicked" or watched The wizard of Oz? It's all explained there!

Arthur is a fantastic kids show compared to BooBah or Lazy Town! LOL!

Amy Lynn said...

LOL!!! :) That is too funny! :)

We were JUST watching the Goofy Movie with our girls and they were actually freaked out by them having dog heads and human bodies. :)

Just wait until Gwyneth starts pondering things. :) We have so much fun with our two year old right now. She has asked the funniest questions that we aren't real sure how to answer.....For instance...."Do fish tootie? Does it make bubbles? Do Monkeys have boogers?" Parenthood is the best. I know you will enjoy every moment. Always keep your fun sense of humor. :)

Blessings!
Amy in Oregon

Mary said...

Totally with you on the whole Pluto and GOofy thing...It's just weird.

Mary
Florida

Chantal said...

Rambling just like a sleep deprived parent. lol

Nathan, you crack me up!

DavitaJo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DavitaJo said...

I just thought that the cartoons that I watched with my nieces and nephews was odd...until they started wanting me to watch High School Musical. That's almost enough to make me miss JJ the Jet Plane. : )

Tamora said...

LOL I have watched Arthur for the last 10 years and it never occured to me about the pet shop LOL.. Thanks for the thought and the laugh :*)

Mindy said...

Welcome to the world of kids' TV. Next mystery: why is Caillou bald? He's, like, four.

Lizze said...

You think Arthur is bad? Check out "Franklin" on Noggin or Nickoldeon. They are woodland creatures with pets! Plus the only one with an actual name is the main character, Franklin the turtle. Everyone else is simply whatever animal they are. lol

Jen said...

You know, my kids watch Arthur every morning before school and I never thought about it.

Arthur is an aardvark which bugs me for some reason...he looks nothing like an aardvark and he has a pet dog...how does that happen???

Just wait until you sing the Barney clean up song when no one else is around and your the one cleaning! Now that is scary!!

Jen in NY

Unknown said...

Lets just hope that by the time Gwyneth is old enough to care, Spongebob will have fallen off the planet. Talk about things that will leave you scratching your head... a snail that meows, a squid that plays the clarinet, and an invertebrate that lives in a piece of fruit and has a best friend that is a squirrel. Things that make you go "Hmmmm????"

Anonymous said...

why is it that the fish in most animated movies are always dumb and get eaten? all except nemo and little mermaid.

weird.

heidi

Jennifer said...

Give it a few years, that purple dinosaur and the aardvark you were referring to earlier will soon make sense. You'll even find yourself watching alone, long after baby girl has dozed off :)

So glad to hear that everyone is doing so well!!!

Annette said...

ok, Arthur is an Aardvark (that looks sort of like a monkey) My kids always loved arthur especially the version about
"The Sock Exchange" Where they use the mystery of disappearing socks from the laundary to explain the "stock exchange" How interesting is that? Just wait til Gwyneth is older..... there are even more irritating yet funny cartoons on TV and you will find yourself quoting the lines when something in "Real Life" reminds you of the "cartoon life" Hahahah

Thanks for the "funny" this evening :)

www.smithfamilyx6.blogspot.com

Andy Lawrenson said...

how come little bear can talk but his friend's dog can't? the cat, chicken, duck talk.

Meg said...

Nate, it's funny you think like this, because so do I. There is an episode of SpongeBob (a show that takes place under the sea) where he has an imaginary friend in a bubble he blew. Well, he and "Bubble buddy" burry a fish up to his neck, and SpongeBob tells Bubble buddy to dig him out while the tide is coming in. Later you see that fish as an angel. Well, the show is supposed to be under the sea!!! How could a fish drown under the sea!! Great minds think alike:-)
Another Meg

Heather Christine said...

Okay, here is a cartoon thought for you; Donald Duck in a boy duck who only wears a shirt, however on the cartoons when he is getting out of a bath, he wears a towel around his waist and nothing on top!! Can that be explained? :)

UKNat said...

And, Goofy's girlfriend is Clarabelle, a cow. What's up with that? We had a deep discussion in college about what in the world is a Grimace? To quote my friend, "you got your fry guys, you got your hamburgler..." I think we concluded that he is an eggplant.

Donna said...

Andy Lawrenson is definitely a Dad, and has watched his share of the shows! LOL!!

amy said...

Arthur rocks! One of the less mind numbing children's programs (trust me, I have watched A LOT). I am so happy for you guys!

gmomof7 said...

My husband and I have wondered the same thing. Oh so funny what a mind can question..I love all your pics from the last few weeks.

gmomof7

Shan said...

and furthermore how can veggie tales talk about eating salad - is it not a relative they will be chowing down on?

Nora said...

Here's one for you:

Why does Mickey wear pants and no shirt and Donald wears a shirt, but no pants?

I love deep thoughts?

Rachel said...

nate...seriously i love your humor!

Thodgson said...

wonder pets!! It is time for celery:0)

Wendy said...

LOL!!! It's so funny that you are bringing this up now! Just last week I was watching "Franklin" with my two youngest children ages 5 and 6. If you aren't familiar with Franklin..he is a turtle. The story line of this particular episode was Franklin trying to decide what kind of pet he would like. I told the kids that I thought Franklin should get a turtle as a pet. The kids were totally confused by my comment. Ha!! ;) Thanks for the laugh!

Gretchen said...

I haven't read all the comments, but I just wanted to say two things:
It'd be way cooler if Arthur went to a People Shop. That'd be awesome.
Also, to Andrew Jeremiah...Magenta is a boy. Blue is a girl. Get it right! Duh.
:)

David said...

Another deep thought: why was the Cosby Show called that when the characters were the Huxtables? I have always wondered that...

NCBeachMom said...

HeeHee, I never thought about that before...Hmmm...animals with animals as pets...that is weird.

asplashofsunshine said...

Ask Gwyneth when she is 4... you'll get the most insightful answers to questions such as these.

pashari said...

Okay, so then I guess you've never seen Oobi on Noggin????

FYI, Noggin is a cable channel with no commercials that is geared toward the toddler/pre-school set.

If you ever catch Oobi (which for some unknown reason all kids seem to just love, mine do anyway) I'd love to hear your deep thoughts!!!

hugs -

lisa

ps. I've never posted before but I've been following you guys for awhile. Bravo!!!!!

Unknown said...

Please don't make me over-analyze Arthur. I LOVE Arthur. Now, Caillou is another story altogether!

jamie said...

While I was sitting here thinking my own deep thoughts regarding the kid's tv programming (uh, thanks Nate!), it occured to me it was the first Tuesday since she was
born that Gyneth was not in the hospital. Was wondering if and how you will do her Tuesday pics?
Now, back to my deep thoughts......
God Bless you all
Jamie in Texas

Shari said...

Let's try this again: the last comment sounded just dumb so I deleted it. When it comes to Teletubbies....I rate that show a negative 10. There's something sick and just not right about it. Other than that.....I am still laughing about your discovery with Arthur and the pet shop. LOL

Paige Hinrichs said...

Is Arthur really an Aardvark?? I always wondered what he was. This show is a bit too yawnsville for me, but ya gotta love Little Einsteins! They rock!

Growing Up Rutledge said...

Arthur also has a pet, a dog named Pal. And he had a pet sitting business for a while. And...some of them are Aardvarks, some of them are Monkeys (francine and Muffy), some of them are Rats (mr. ratburn), some are rabbits (buster), the list is endless...

Not only that, if you watch their christmas special you will find they are of all faiths and races....who knew.

(ok...i've just outed myself as someone who knows way to much about Arthur!)

Katy said...

That is hilarious...Trust the other readers and stay far away from Barney and Teletubbies, unless you want Gwyneth grunting and making odd noises instead of talking or playing with purple dinosaurs when she is 14 years old. I kind of like Caillou because my 4 year old nephew really relates to him, but do think he whines too much- and why IS he bald? My nephew thinks he is lucky because he doesn't have to get haircuts....

Jen Wilson said...

BAHAHAHA!

Seriously! I have had the same thoughts ... but you'd better get used to those cartoons! (Unless you still watch them?)

Yes, it IS weird that they have pets - the Berenstein Bears too - they have a pet dog? Don't bears eat dogs?

Kristen said...

I like pluto...more so now since it cracks Kiv up but hey I see why now though her eyes...
I dont get authur either but Kiv watches him sometimes...I havent asked why...maybe I should...

twin power mommy ♥ said...

i've always asked myself those same questions.
guess i watch too much little kid t.v.
think it's odd when they show talking animals having pets at home who DO NOT talk....
very odd indeed!

Dea said...

Haha! I have ALWAYS wondered about Pluto and Goofy. What on earth happened? Did Goofy eat some Alice in Wonderland type cookie that he can walk and talk and keep Pluto as a pet? :)

Kadence and Adam. . . and Mommy said...

LOL Nathan YOU ROCK!

Scott said...

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEp!

Lost in Lake St Peter said...

Those are good points. Now I have a question. On the show Little Bear (my nephew watches it) Why do mother and father bear wearer cloths but little bear doesn't?

Anonymous said...

I have to add to the pondering going on here once again.

I've been over this in my head and with my kids way too many times :)

Where the heck are Max and Ruby's parents? I mean, bunny scout leader comes around and so does grandma but no mom and dad! Those bunnies take the bus alone downtown, use the oven and play in pools with no parents or adults around!

What's all that about? :)

One of life's great mysteries!

MoFranDills said...

The best question is what IS Goofy? I'm a peds nurse and I have a scrb top with goofy, mickey and gang on it, and I had a paitent;s parent ask me what Goofy is. Is he a dog? I had no idea....in addition to the fact that Donald Duck does not wear pants but wears a towel around his waist when he takes a shower...

Kh. Patty said...

There are some seriously weird shows on PBS. Like "Super Why" -- it makes you think that they are going to books for answers, but what they really do is "change the story" to make it fit their situation or their perception of what is right. After watching one episode, I had to explain to my two-year-old for weeks that there is no "slide" in the Humpty Dumpty rhyme. When I have a few moments to be coherent, I plan to write a post for my Trenches of Motherhood blog explaining precisely what is wrong with this show... reminds me of the guy's job in Orwell's 1984... :)

Lady Eli said...

Seriously any really deep thinking on children's shows and you will be crazy for years. Its time to except the facts. Even at the rate of one hour of TV a day you are going to:
1. Know all the songs by heart and will find your self singing them even when the child is not in the room and the TV is off
2. Find yourself watching them late at night when the children are in bed
3. Thinking about them at odd times
4. Trying to explain to your children that they don't need the characters on there clothes, shoes, eating utensils, cups, and plates, or food
5.You will find some father's day/Christmas/Birthday gift with some character on it
6. You will have memories of just sitting with your child watching that show and talking about it and then it will lead to bigger discusions and long talks.

By the way since you have a girl welcome to the world of Princesses, Barbie, Polly Pocket, Strawberry Shortcake, and everything Pink.

jessicagv said...

I agree.
Another thing you will notice in many kids shows involving animals. Little Bear comes to mind.

Why do the adults get to wear clothing but the children all run around without clothes?

Andy Lawrenson said...

Oobi! Talk about low overhead.

Unknown said...

Hey Nate, Stay away from Backyardigans, and Wonderpets if you question Authur! ;)

K Storm said...

I asked my daughter (7 years old) one time about the hierarchy of animals in cartoons too. Why do some animals have people-like qualities and others serve as pets? Very complicated.

Sarah said...

Oooh, ooh, I know the answer! I can't remember WHO it was but there was some Disney animator on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (NPR news/quiz show) a couple of years ago and they asked why Goofy is anthropomorphized and Pluto is not.

The answer, believe it or not, is PANTS!

Apparently animals who wear pants cannot be pets.

Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.

turtlemama said...

Love it.