Let me explain. When we moved into a new house there simply was not time to unpack the multitude of boxes, and many wound up staying sealed in our basement for many years. After being in the house for five years I decided to visit the basement and open a few boxes. My precocious six year old daughter accompanied me as we searched for new found treasures.
One of the things we pulled out of the fist box was a small circular device with a protruding knob. At first glance I was at a loss to discern what it was…..I swear. My wife was given the device as a birthday gift from one of her friends many years ago, and somehow it was never put to use. Just as I finally realized what I was holding, my daughter asked me to identify this toy. Being the quick thinker that I am, I activated the device and to my amazement the batteries still worked after all these years. I immediately held the vibrating sphere to my throat and started talking like Darth Vader. Remember, this was in the 1980s and Star Wars was still very popular. My daughter’s eyes widened as she shrieked with glee at this amazing discovery and I was satisfied with the way I handled the situation.
We had a good laugh playing with the “voice disguiser”, put it back in the box, and went upstairs to continue our day. What I did not know was that my daughter went back downstairs the next morning to retrieve the perfect “show and tell” item. She must have imagined how cool it would be when her friends got to see her magic disguiser.
Do you have any idea what it is like to get a frantic call from the school principal advising you that your child brought a vibrator to school? Frankly, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to do the former. Unfortunately the principal failed to see the humor, even after I explained the circumstances. I can’t say that I blamed the principal, we were already on a first name basis due to my daughter’s past escapades, so her pedigree and my parental skills were already somewhat compromised in his eyes.
So, be forewarned my friends, as this could happen to you! Creativity is a subjective experience, and outcomes cannot always be predicted. The good thing is that my daughter grew up to be a good person and loving mother, despite the fact that my grandson has a penchant for mooning people when they least expect it.
My only regret to this day is that I did not try to license the voice disguiser to George Lucas.