The poem “Cartoon Physics” by Nick Flynn is about kids being kids and the importance of never forgetting how to be a kid at heart. The path we take in life as an adult takes us far away from what we once were when we were kids, however, it is important to never lose the kid in you. The theme of “Cartoon Physics” is about the path that children should be on. Nick talks about kids growing up too fast and parents seem to take the childhood away from the kids by not letting them be kids.
Children today are exposed to far too many wings instead of the basics of being kids and dreaming of super heroes and using their imagination to be creating a chaos that only a child can create. The tone of “Cartoon Physics” is light and easy. Nick is speaking in terms that are pleading to parents to keep kids being kids. He is able to reach out to parents like myself to remind us to slow down and let our children be children. I was able to reflect on my own daughter and help to create a massive fort in the living room after reading. The picture that has been painted for all of us is simple.
We can see children inning around boys with their cars and trucks making massive car crashes. The girls are playing with their dolls and other girl things while all of them are being kids. I see the boys making forts and acting like Superman while inside of the fort to save the girls from disaster. The theme, tone and illustration of this piece leave us to the understanding that children are growing up to fast and are exposed to things that children are not intended to be exposed to. This leaves us, the parents, to the Job of letting our children be children and have the fun that we did when we were kids.
