We took the kids to the zoo today, and I picked up a disposable camera for each of them. They've used them before, so they just needed a quick refresher once we arrived. I told them both that they only had 27 shots, so choose carefully.
Alex was very selective - only one photo per animal. I don't have the pictures back yet, so I don't know how he did, but he was very aware that he had a finite number of shots.
Julia, on the other hand, informed anyone within earshot "When you see an animal, start clicking." A motto not unlike my own early philosophy. And the current one, to be truthful. As a result, once we passed the elephants and were looking through the class at the seals, Julia tried to take a picture but couldn't. Bill checked her camera and sure enough, she'd finished the roll. (For comparison's sake, Alex had about 15 shots left at this point.) Anyway, this bad news did not sit well with our young nature photographer.
She stood there, near the seal tank, staring at the ground and refusing to follow Bill and Alex as they headed toward the giraffe house. I half followed them, half coaxed her. And I promised her I'd take pictures of anything she wanted me to. But still, she was reluctant to smile. She wanted her OWN camera, so she could take her OWN pictures.
Ah Julia. I understand completely.
Thank goodness you were born in the digital age. I think you'll enjoy a nice big memory card one day, when you have a camera of your own.
She wants pink.
