Flash Forward

Every once in a while some of the things my kids say take me by surprise -- in a good way (yes, they also shock me too, but that is a subject for a different day).  One second they are acting like regular little kids, and then they will make an observation or a comment that just really startles me and gives me a little glimpse of an older child awakening.  It's marvelous. 

Today, I had a couple of those moments. Abby's came near bedtime.  She and I just finished reading The Penderwicks, which is an incredibly poignant and wonderful story of a family of four children on summer vacation (I highly recommend this book to other mom's out there). So, we were in her bedroom, and I was waiting for her to decide what book to pick next.  This is a very important decision because we are reading longer chapter books now, and this book will probably last us a month of bedtime reading.  After much deliberation she selected A Wrinkle in Time,  which I'm genuinely thrilled about since it was one of my childhood favorites. 

After making her selection, we snuggled up and started to read.  After a few pages, she interrupts me and says, "Mom, how come so many books are about good and evil? Have you noticed that?"  Isn't that a good observation for a 2nd grader?  It's true!  So, I decided to jump right ahead to high school English and told her about archetypal themes in literature, like good vs. evil, coming of age, etc.  I wasn't sure what level to answer her question, but I figured if she's going to ask me that type of question, I might as well give her the best answer I can and "see what sticks, " as one of her teachers said one time. 

Caroline's comment wasn't so much observational but more vocabulary- and presentation-based.  We were in the car together, and we were talking about our days.  I asked Caroline how her ballet class was, and I expected to hear the usual response ("Fine" or "Good" or "Fun").  Instead, she says, "Oh, it was really fun.  My favorite part is working on the barre, where we are learning some new moves for this year's dance recital.  Oh, and my friend Stephanie had to sit out because she was doing a jeté instead of a plié....etc etc"  I had to look up how to spell both plié and jeté.  All of this conversation just rolled of her tongue in the most natural way possible.  And I was left wondering is this the same child who mixes up the words "tomorrow" and "yesterday"? 

Fortunately I can count on Ben to just be my little cute boy (for now).  His best statement today, "Mom, I like being a happy boy."  I like that too, Buddy!