The arrival of the ‘naughty kor-kor’

We read from our primary parenting reference – The Magic Years, that children will often come up with an imaginary character sometime in their young childhood. This character will often take the rap for things that the child does not want to admit to, or whose conscience will not allow it to claim responsibility for.

“[The two year old] loves, deeply, tenderly, extravagantly and he holds the love of his parents more dearly than anything in the world. To be fair about it, he also loves himself very, very much and this conflict between self-love and love of others is the source of much of his difficulty at this age. But when put to the test, it is love for his parents which wins out. When he has displeased them he is disconsolate and even his self-love is diminished when he feels the displeasure of his parents. He wants to be good in order to earn their love and approval; he wants to be good so that he can love himself. … He begins his progress as a social being by adopting the attitude of his parents toward his unacceptable impulses. He comes to dislike them, too. And the first progress in dealing with his unacceptable impulses is revealed in a way that we would not immediately recognise as progress. He casts them out of himself and attributes them to persons or objects outside.

He acquires a number of companions, imaginary ones, who personify his Vices like characters in a morality play. (The Virtues he keeps to himself. …) Hate, Selfishness, Uncleanliness, Envy, and a host of other evils are cast out like devils and forced to obtain other hosts.”

We’ve been hearing about the ‘naughty kor-kor’ who lives just outside our house / in the bushes / in the other car (depending on where we are at that point in time). I found it amusing to witness this development in C, but have just been too busy to blog about it.

A few mornings ago, C made fun of P, and sang “Old MacDonald, Daddy-no-teeth!” He went on about how P has no more teeth and can only drink milk like meimei now. P went along, used his lips to hide evidence of his pearly whites, which thrilled C and led C to proclaim “I’m a dentist. I’ll give you white teeth.” However, when P asked whether C would share his teeth with him, by transplanting some over to P, C frowned, shook his head then relied on his trusty ‘naughty kor-kor’.

“No, cannot. Later I give you naughty kor-kor’s teeth.”

The concept of the naughty kor-kor has also been extrapolated to a 'naughty kor-kor's daddy”, such that he exonerates P for wrong-doing, and says “Not my daddy..it was naughty kor-kor's daddy who did XXX”.

I should try and remember more concrete examples in future, but this mama is getting close to delivery and feeling increasingly tired by the day...