Today, let’s talk about my middle daughter.
At her school, every student uses a Surface laptop, and homework and school announcements all arrive on that device.
So, last night…
I looked over and saw her staring at her laptop, making one wild face after another. One eye squeezed shut. Eyes rolled back. Mouth twisted sideways. Then a full-on demon glare…
At first, I decided I hadn’t seen anything.
But she was so committed, and it went on for so long, that I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Here’s the thing: dinner at our house is late. By the time she’s home from practice, scrolling on her phone to decompress, and finally eating, it’s already pretty late. Then she takes a long, leisurely bath, does a little stretching (yes, stretching!), and by the time she sits down to homework, it’s basically bedtime.
There is no room in this schedule for making faces at a laptop.
So there I was, quietly losing my mind, while my daughter kept up her facial gymnastics across the table.
Her explanation? She’s “trying to make sure the face recognition doesn’t recognize me.”
Why?! Please, just let it log you in like a normal person! (sobs)
“In case of an emergency.”
There is no emergency!
“You know, like if I’m kidnapped and they say, ‘Unlock it with your face or else.'”
…She’s watched too much VIVANT.
Because yes, our house is officially in the middle of a VIVANT craze. (VIVANT is a hit Japanese spy thriller drama, packed with twists.)
My son Tommy usually sticks to anime and superhero shows, but for some reason he is completely hooked on this one. He recorded every episode from the very first one and replays them constantly.
The plot is pretty complex, so I’m not sure he follows all of it. But he has memorized the characters’ names, the scenes, and the dialogue perfectly, and he does live voice-overs while he watches. His memory is astonishing. I’m honestly in awe.
I love the show too, but I can rarely watch it live. And yet, sitting right next to me, Tommy delivers every line in perfect sync, which means I get spoiled every single time. (sobs again)
Please, at the very least, no voice-overs for episodes I haven’t seen yet!
One child with a vivid imagination, preparing for “just in case” scenarios. One child flawlessly reenacting his favorite lines. Looks like the VIVANT craze in our house isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.