Q & A
December 11 2009 I heard him in the hallway, wondering where I went. If Jedi has a question, I’m the person he seeks. I was idly drying off after a shower, however, so he had to settle for J. Why he decided to respect my privacy for once is beyond me.
“Ok, um, Daddy? What does ‘radioactive’ mean?”
He should have just referred to the Incredible Hulk right here and been done with it. I mean, he glows green! How much more radioactive can you get? Instead, J fumbled for a few seconds, trying to find his own definition that a 6 year old could understand. I guess he couldn’t think of one, because he replied, “Um… uh… radioactive waves.”
“What are radioactive waves?”
“Umm… hmm…. it’s like… like a nuclear bomb.”
Even from the bathroom, I could see the next challenge coming from a mile away. As Jedi asked, I mouthed the words with him in unison. “What’s a nuclear bomb?”
Being the parent of a young child is a constant pop quiz, teetering on the brink of my mediocre education. Some days you pass, some days you fail, and some days your head is clogged and you wish you could call in sick. For now, I hold a slipping grasp on the answer key. Stories of superheroes aren’t going to suffice forever, though, but I’ll gladly take it while I can.
6 Responses
on December 11 2009
I’m not going to lie, there have been several times where I’ve considered going back to school to touch up on the basics because I fear the “why” and “what is” stage lol
.-= Candace´s latest blog post: Missing my newborn =-.
on December 11 2009
I’m always happy to tell my kids to ask someone else.
.-= Aunt Becky´s latest blog post: Further Proof For As Much As I Am Doing Wrong, I’m Doing Something Right* =-.
on December 12 2009
Uh-oh…how do you backpedal from this one?
I used to teach preschoolers, 2- and 3-year-olds, and got pretty good about handling the what/why/hows. And then I got pregnant. And once I was visibly pregnant, things got rather interesting. During lunch one day, a little boy asked me if I was going to have a baby. I answered that I was, and he seemed satisfied at first. Turns out he was pondering it, and suddenly turned to me, pointed at my stomach, and asked loudly, “Wait — how did the baby get in there?” ::gulp::
.-= semicrunchymama´s latest blog post: Early Childhood Caries — Shane’s Story =-.
on December 13 2009
Yeah, sometimes the things my kids ask me just FLOOR me. There are days when I think quick on my feet and other days when I fall flat on my face.
on December 13 2009
Kids these days are way too smart for us dumb adults. I dread the day when V starts the questions. I think I’ll just teach her to use wikipedia instead.
.-= PrincessJenn´s latest blog post: I’m Dreaming of a Normal Christmas =-.
on December 13 2009
So true. I’ll answer with superhero answers right along with you for as long as I can!
.-= Heather of the EO´s latest blog post: Because there’s no way I’m sending a normal Christmas card this year =-.