The Sewin' Gun

Okay, the first thing I need to do once the boys are asleep tonight is figure out how to override the automatic lightmeter on this camera, 'cause in a white room full of white stuff, I'm getting really underexposed images. That said, I wanted to share this sweet moment.

A couple of years ago, I picked up a toy gun that I found abandoned in a park. As I often do in such cases, I brought it home thinking that it might be useful in a future art project. We're basically pacifists around here, so it's not the kind of thing we'd normally want kicking around, especially with a new baby boy in our lives.

My partner and I have had many discussions about the male fascination with blood-letting - where it comes from, what to do with it, etc. I know many conscientious, peace-loving parents who've witnessed their boys turning innocuous objects - from sticks to toast - into weapons, so I'd pretty much resigned myself to the fact that my boys will probably go through a gun phase, despite my best efforts to preserve their tender souls from such things.

When my two year-old entered my studio and picked up my "art gun" I was mortified. Who could have imagined that it would be me who'd inadvertently introduce him to this violent thing? He immediately demanded that I give him something "soft and white" - he wanted some nearby fabric. Upon receiving it, he quickly got to work, pushing the gun's handle in a straight line across the piece of cloth, commenting as he went, "I'm sewin' mommy."

Bless his sweet little heart. Violence averted for another day.