Man, it would be really cool if I were here to announce that DadWagon.com and Slate.com had inked a deal to share content or be acquired or whatever. But no. Actually, what I have to tell you is that the Dadwagon approach to parent-blogging has become such a cultural force that it has permeated bastions of official journalism like Slate, which today published a piece by Eric Pape (a friend of mine, as it happens) about how his son, Luka, is mistaking his iPhone for his mother:
Luka fixed his gaze on Mathias’ iPhone: “Mama.” Mathias patiently explained that Luka’s mother was right behind him. But Luka was certain. “Mama!” he called to the phone.
From then on, any iPhone would do. Luka would spot her on the table: “Mama!” He would climb on furniture and reach anxiously for her: “Mama!” He spied her on the bookcase: “Mama!” He didn’t just want to play with “Mama”; he needed his iMama.
Meanwhile, Luka’s mother lost her natural maternal title altogether. She became nameless; Luka summoned her with a mere gesture of his hands or a random squeak. Eventually, he gave her a peripheral title: “Mammon,” a sort of extension of his iMama. The only time that Luka directed “Mama” at his mother was when she used my phone.
It’s a very enjoyable and insightful piece—the kind of thing we run all the time over here. So, read it and think of us.