Like most parents, I love to hear my kids think big. I do whatever I can to help them reach their goals. But sometimes, I can’t make their dreams a reality.
In the past week, my daughter has asked for a few things.
She’d like to learn to fight like Michonne. Yeah, me too.
This has nothing to do with wanting a cadaver, but plenty to do with not wanting to be the first to die in a zombie apocalypse. All Buzzfeed quizzes point to 11 days of survival for me. If I make it much longer, Carol will tell me to look at the flowers.
Even more than learning to fight zombies, she wants a deep understanding of anatomy. Since she is a highly visual-spatial learner, she would like to obtain this knowledge through a hands on (or in) experience. This thought led to the casual request:
“So, can you get me a cadaver?”
{Sound of my laughter}
“Um. No.”
She knew her request would make me laugh. She was only kind of serious about it, but the possibility was clearly exciting. I told her she would have to wait until medical school like everyone else. I’m mean like that. She calls me a dream crusher, daily.
Unsatisfied with that idea, she started searching the internet for a substitute. A doll maybe? Surgical training supplies? She quickly found that the site dapercadaver.com sells um, yes, of course, cadavers, but they are all hallow and empty on the inside.
She may have to settle (for now) on Erwin.
Creepy, right? And completely inadequate. Look at that heart. I’m not even going to comment on the intestines. So, like the inventive homeschool mom that I am (yeah, right), I suggested building a model using a fake skeleton and building on it. Like this clay project, but on a larger scale:
I wouldn’t mind having a life size fake body on my dining room table for the duration of the project, as long as it doesn’t look too real. This exhibit freaks me out a bit because it is real. Watch:
It’s repulsive and fascinating, disgusting and beautiful all at once, don’t you think? Like life? Sometimes? Or is it just me?
