Malaise

Somewhere, in the not-so-distant past, Max heard someone say that they felt sick. (On Sesame Street, maybe?) Apparently, the dramatic potential of ill health appeals to him, because he has been "feeling a little sick -- cough! cough!" ever since. He puts long, thin legos in his mouth and claims that they report fever, he loudly and with great and tragic aplomb sneezes into his hands, and he clutches his throat with both hands and looks woeful, regretfully informing me that he has lost his voice. Here's the thing, though -- Max has actually been sick ... hold on, let me count ... three times in his life. He has very little real-life experience to draw on, and his performance reflects this lack. His 'fevers' include the prop of the faux thermometer, but he has not committed to the role enough to adopt the quiet, glassy-eyed temperament that has accompanied his real-life fevers. His sneezes and coughs lack even an attempt to simulate actual snot -- he basically just says 'achoo!' or 'ahem' and then asks for attention. And, of course, most glaringly, when he says he has lost his voice, he neglects to consider that he is using his voice to inform me of the loss, thus poking holes in his own tale of woe. Not surprisingly, Max has found that his recent bouts of ill health have not been met with an overabundance of sympathy. In fact, his cruel and neglectful parents seem amused by his maladies more often than not.