Alberistics - Bear's Magic Finger

Similar to hundreds of thousands of other children I grew up to the amazing stories of Roald Dahl.  I knew them inside out and back to front and just loved the wacky worlds his seemingly normal characters lived in.  One of my favourite stories was “The Magic Finger” which is about a girl whose index finger would punish people for being naughty.  (Looking back on it now, this book may be responsible for the development of my nagging finger…?)

A picture says a thousand words

 

Watching Alby I am fairly certain that even if his index finger isn’t magic, he is convinced of it being so.  His little index finger gets every where - pulling, pushing, hooking, prodding, poking, sticking – if his finger isn’t involved, he isn’t interested. Every new discovery Alby makes is done with the definite presence of his Magic Finger as demonstrated by his new favourite thing - turning on and off light switches.

Yes indeed, it would appear that my hopes to raise a child who is environmentally savvy and aware and already paying off as I cannot leave a room at the moment without Alby having to turn the light off first.  This highly ethical attitude sometimes spills over into a general desire to have all lights turned off at all times.  Increasingly when we are playing together he will turn, stare up at the light switch and then fully extend his arm all the way to the tip of his Magic Finger which strains to get up to the switch.  Once lifted up he laughs at the switch as if it to show it once and for all who’s boss, wipes his soggy finger over it and then pushes down until he gets the desired result.  At which point he gives a satisfied giggle and flaps his arms about (more often than not bashing me in the process).  Admittedly, his green tendencies are slightly undone by him then instantly turning the light back on again, and off again, and on again… but at least it’s a step in the right direction and one more chance to show off the brilliance of Albert the Bear and his Magic Finger.