Deep thoughts, by Liam Emanuel

Randomly, in the car this past weekend, Liam asked, "When the police shoot bad guys, do they bury them?" Naturally, this spurred one more fascinating conversation stream, as follows:
Me: Um, well, if the bad guy died, he would have a funeral so his family could come and say goodbye to him before he was buried.
Liam: Bad guys have families? Why?
Me: Well, (note my favorite word for giving myself another moment to think) even people who make bad choices have people who love them. Everyone has parents, some people have brothers, sisters, friends, and grown-ups can be married . .. .
(Pause)
Liam: Oh. So why are they bad guys?
Me: Well, it isn't that easy. No one is all bad or all good. People just make good decisions or bad decisions. Bad guys are just people who make really bad decisions that can hurt other people.
Liam: Then why do police shoot them?
Me: Well, police don't want to shoot or hurt anyone, but they will if someone won't stop being bad, and they need to protect someone else. But they don't like hurting people, even people making bad decisions. If they liked to shoot people, they wouldn't be police officers, they'd be bad guys.
Liam: Oh.
Another day of deep thoughts. Whew.

Little carnivore

On the way home yesterday, I asked Liam what he did in school that day. He told me that were learning about Halloween. When I asked what sorts of things they learned, he told me he drew a picture of bats. This prompted further conversation on bats:
Liam: What do bats eat?
Me: Mosquitos and other bugs.
Liam: And fruit.
Me: Yes, some bats eat fruit.
Liam: What do vampire bats eat?
Me: Um, blood.
Liam: Whose blood?
Me: (thinking how fortunate it was that I studied vampire bats in an animal behavior class in college) Sheep, goats, that sort of animal. Maybe cows.
Liam: What about horses?
Me: (Shoot! I don't remember!) Um, sure, probably horses, too.
Liam: I like cows.
Me: (phew! a change of subject!) Great! What do you like about cows?
Liam: I like meat. It's healthy.
Me: Uh, yeah. Sure.
Liam: It's in the same group as nuts.
Me: Yes it is, yes it is.
I guess they are learning about more than just Halloween. Who would have thought I'd have a child who like cows because they are tasty?

Return of Flesh-Colored Person

In the tradition of the doll that I named "Flesh-colored person" when I was a little girl, the boys and I had some discussions about skin color today. First, I was coloring with Finn and using the "peach" crayon to draw Finn's face. He asked me what color the crayon was, and when I told him, he declared it was not peach. He's right, the color really isn't the same as the fruit. I am pretty sure this is the same crayon that, in days gone by, was called "flesh". What color is it anyway? Maybe Liam knows . . .

Later, Matt and I were discussing white boy rappers (don't ask!) and Liam overheard. Naturally, he wanted to know what white boy rappers were. I started to explain by asking him what color his skin was. He replied, "khaki-ish." Touche. Fortunately, the conversation ended there. Might khaki-sih be a new crayon color, perhaps?

Finn's first pun

Liam found a fly swatter on the porch today, and he started pretending to swat everything. Next thing you know, the boys are singing, "Shoo fly, don't bother me." A little while later, as we were getting ready to go out, Finn picked up my shoes in his hands, sang "Shoe fly, don't bother me," and laughed hysterically.

Pretend Play

Finn and Liam both have very vivid imaginations. One of their current games is to pretend to be puppy dogs. Finn usually starts it, and as soon as one of them drops to the floor and barks, the other always joins in. It is cute for the first minute or so, and can occassionally be helpful (apparently puppy dogs are more willing to brush their teeth than little boys). Puppies can be difficult at mealtimes and storytimes, though.

The other evening in the bath, Finn decided to try a new game. They were splashing happily, when Finn bit Liam. He had seemed to have gotten past his biting phase, and it had been several months since the last bite. They had also been playing nicely, so we asked Finn why he bit, and he said, "Mosquito!" Apparently, Finn had decided that pretending to be a mammal was a bit limiting. Thankfully, the "mosquito game" has not re-emerged.

Jelly Beans

We have hired someone to pick up the boys from preschool, take them home, make them dinner, etc. She is a kindergarten teacher, and one day last week had some leftover jelly beans from class. She asked the boys if they'd like a couple jelly beans if they finished their dinners. The boys answered, "What are jelly beans?" Her comment: So, I guess you don't give them candy much, huh?

Candy having been offered, however, meant it must be distributed. Having now learned that we don't generally have candy at home, she then learned one of the reasons. The boys began crying for jelly beans, and Finn refused to eat dinner, crying out for the beans instead. Now, bear in mind that Finn could eat his weight in black beans, and might not have understood at all, but he finally ate enough dinner to earn three jelly beans. Being 2, and a Kressin boy, his favorite color is yellow, so he chose the yellow jelly bean, and, as the partially chewed candy fell from his mouth, we discovered the first yellow thing he didn't like.

I'm guessing she won't bring candy again.

Hide and Seek

It has been oppressively hot outside for the last couple of weeks, and the boys have been forced inside more than usual. As a result, Liam has re-discovered the fun of playing hide-and-seek with me. Fortunately, Finn is a bit older and no longer cries pitifully when he can't find me, so it is more fun for me, too. Liam, however, still doesn't really get it.

When he hid the first time, he asked me for help hiding in the bathtub. I told him I couldn't help, because I would be looking for him. I found both him and Finn in the bathtub. A fine place to hide. When he hid the second time, I called out loudly, "I think I'll check the bathtub again!" because I knew he'd be somewhere else and I like to really look around before I find him. Now, Liam is not very good at hiding, but he has a few different spots in his repertoire, including closets. Well, really it is just closets and the bathtub. I've tried to demonstrate some other hiding places, but he never finds me, so he sticks to his closets and bathtub.

Naturally, on this turn, he was once again in the bathtub. He asked, "How did you find me?" I told him I just looked where he had hid last time. For his next turn, I once again announced I would begin my search in the bathtub. Once again he was there. Matt and I tried to explain that you have to change where you hide, and eventually he hid in the closet. With his toes sticking out. Again, "How did you find me?" He could really play this all day. I'll admit, it's kind of fun!