Like coming home

Yesterday, PK and I killed some time at one of the few indoor-mega malls that are within a 2-gallon drive in my civic.

This particular mall has the only Apple Store in the entire state of Oklahoma.

You may (or not) recall that sometime back when I was contemplating finding employment here in the Sooner State, that I had a quasi-interview with Apple for a position at the not-yet-built-Oklahoma-Apple-Store.

Employment aside, our foray into the white and glass odyssey that is every Apple Store I've ever been in provided that familiar sense of belonging, camaraderie, and technical comfort I always feel when surrounded by all things Apple and Mac.

Before distracting myself with the latest MacBooks, G5 Quad dual-core processor towers, Cinema Displays and the wall-O-iPod accessories, I directed my 3-old to the waiting iMacs setup at a centerstage table just for ankle biters such as herself. She found the round, black, cushy chair to her liking, grabbed a nearby mouse in her itty-bitty little hand and found a familiar friend in Dora the Explorer.

Apple places these kiddie iMac tables in the direct center of the store, allowing parents and siblings direct view of their miniscule relations as they themselves peruse the store. Safe and comforting.

This, as Guy Kawasaki would say, is doing things the Macintosh Way.

In addition, a young Applette donning the requisite white Apple logo'd black polo shirt, hangs out by the kiddie table to render assistance, turn down volumes, solve riddles of software, and practice her conflict resolution skills on feuding future Mac owners.

As PK played, and I browsed, drooled, fantasized, and all but made love to the 17" MacBook Pro I was hammering on, I noticed a small herd of folk starting to gather round PK's personal space.

"She's 3", I answered upon arriving behind the crowd of 7 people (the Applette, an elderly couple, two teenage girls, an expectant Mother, and a young boy who I theorized was just trying to get as close to the teenage girls as possible).

From the looks I received from the elderly couple, I was not to be believed. Seizing the chance to show not only what my daughter could accomplish behind the mouse of a Mac, but what a Mac could accomplish in the hands of a 3-year old man-child, I pressed on.
PK, how old are you?No answer. She was helping Dora pick the correct animal to mimic to get up a tree, and was not to be disturbed.Sweetie, how old are you?Still no response. Oh no, my daughter is a go-bot already.Sweetie, I'm asking you a question.Rather quickly, I saw her move her cursor to the "Time Out" icon at the bottom of the screen and click on it. Once Dora is safely paused, she turned to me and said,

"Daddy, I'm free." -- note, she still has some issues with her "th" sound and it often comes out as the "fr" sound.

Lessons learned here:

Don't mess with my daughter when she's helping Dora

While you may think that having your 3-year old show proficiency on a computer would be helpful for the Sales staff, keep in mind that her unsociable behavior while displaying said proficiencty may prove more damaging.

A teenage boy flying solo is no match for teenage girls traveling in pairs, no matter cool he is.