Conversations With a 9th Grader

 Horatio started 9th grade today. Here are some recent conversations we've had. 

Me, walking into his room to say goodnight. Him, in bed.

Me: "I'm tucking you in. Goodnight."

Horatio: [Getting up out of bed.]

Me: "What are you doing?"

Horatio: [Unintelligible speech.]

Me: "Are you sleep walking?"

Horatio: "No."

Me: "Go back to bed."

Horatio: "Why?"

Me: "It is bed time."

Horatio: [Gets back in bed.]

It helps to know that Horatio does sleep walk sometimes. When it happens, he is very suggestible, so telling him to go back to bed works. The next day he said that he was not, in fact, sleep walking, but was just confused because he thought I was in his room to wake him up and it must be morning.

Me, taking towels out of the dryer so that Horatio can move his clothes from the washer to the dryer. The laundry room is also my home office.

Horatio: "Clack, clack, clack."

Me: "What are you doing?"

Horatio: [Sitting on my balance ball and reaching up to the desk, which is in standing position.] "Clack, clack, clack. I'm working like Momma."

Me, once again trying to say goodnight to Horatio after he is in bed.

Me: "This is a goodnight hug. Not a good morning hug. Don't get up. Stay in bed."

Horatio: "My watch says it is 8:52 and a half."

Me: "Okay."

Horatio: "I wanted to go to bed earlier than that."

Me: "You did. I woke you up. Sorry."

In the morning he explained that he forgot he had been asleep and thought he had really just gotten into bed. 

Pelvic Power

 A couple of years ago, I worked on a story about the Sumerian goddess, Inanna. 

Researching a Sumerian myth was a new experience for me as I usually go with Greek and Roman myths (when I'm not telling personal stories). I'm much more educated in classical mythology and history. I checked out a book with close translations of several stories and poems about Inanna and watched video lectures on Sumerian mythology as part of my research. 

I fell in love with this goddess who does what she wants and has complicated relationships. The story I crafted to perform centered on the myth of Inanna's descent into the underworld, but I wove in a couple of other stories to give background, including the story of how Inanna and her husband Dumuzi got together (the suggestive dialogue is excellent) and the story of Inanna's visit to Enki. 

At the start of the story about Inanna and Enki, she looks at her genitals and, liking what she sees, feels powerful and decides to make a trip into the heavens. (Here is a version of the story.) Of course I enjoy the naughtiness. Beyond this, I originally read this as a story of a young woman drawing power from her sexual appeal and potential. It does take place before Inanna's marriage and she is described as "a maiden" at this point. 

But Inanna and her remarkable genitals returned to me recently and I've found a different interpretation for myself. I had some physical therapy for pelvic floor issues related to running. Needing pelvic floor PT could make a lady feel a bit busted. (I'm not saying it should be this way, just that it's easy to deprecate one's self in this way.) Then a remarkable thing happened as I was contracting my pelvic floor muscles while doing squats, and lunges, and jumping jacks, and well, everything. I recognized that I was drawing power from my pelvic floor. Not just stronger there, but...stronger. This is what reminded me of Inanna. I, too, can find power in my genitals, not as a young and beautiful maiden, but as a goddess who will be difficult. 

Not busted. Rediscovering my power.