Buy This Artwork!
This strip is a mix of things for me. I really enjoyed capturing the silent in-air shot of Ted, first of all. But the sentiment…. as an adult, I’ve felt, and perhaps (embarrassingly enough) even said words similar to Vachel’s. I get it. But I am also Ted, and feel the Vachels of the world need more Ted’s in these circumstances.
It is particularly embarrassing when your wife gives your children a rather severe lecture on maturity and responsibility, and then 5 minutes later, Dad (yup, me) is doing a cannonball or something even worse, such as “pull my finger” or “Hawaiian nose humming”.
There is a distinct difference between childISH and childLIKE. The first is, typically, horribly self-centered, egocentric, and unable to distinguish between the times when it is appropriate to play and when it is necessary to focus on the moment. The second, on the other hand, is a joyous thing, when all the “adult” baggage we carry around can be released and we can just BE. Ted is in many ways the epitome of an adult who can be childLIKE, but never lose the maturity that makes it clear he IS the parent.