Breakfast of Champions

Scene: the Drake family kitchen, about 7:00 this morning. Leah and David have run ahead of me and by the time I get there, I find David having grabbed a box of crackers and shoving his hand into the box. I quickly grab the box from him, returning the two or three crackers to the box. (Yeah, I know, unsanitary. It’s not like anyone else is going to be eating them.) ;-)

I inform David that we will not be having crackers for breakfast; he screams. I ignore him and turn to Leah. The following conversation ensues:

Daddy: “Leah, what do you want for breakfast?”

Leah: “Crackers!”

Daddy: “No, Leah. I just told David that we don’t have crackers with breakfast.”

Leah: “But I want crackers!”

Daddy: “No, Leah. Not for breakfast.”

Leah: “Can I have crackers for lunch?”

Daddy: “If you would like some crackers with your lunch, I’m okay with that if Mommy is. Mommy, is that okay?”

Mommy (looking up from the computer): “What?”

Daddy: “Leah can have crackers with her lunch?”

Mommy: “Yes, with her lunch.”

Daddy: “Okay, thanks, Mommy. So, Leah, you may have some crackers with your lunch. Now what do you want for breakfast?”

Leah: “Oatmeal!”

Daddy: “Okay. David, what do you want for breakfast?”

David: “Lunch!”


(((sigh)))

Little Conversations

David has officially entered the “why” stage. You know; the one where many statements will elicit a response of “Why?” from the child? Well, here’s a conversation we had yesterday, as best as I can remember.

To set the stage: we’re currently on vacation at Grandma and Pop’s house, but specifically, to attend their retirement party. As things were winding down, last night (there were like 80 people here, at the height of things), the kids asked to get in the pool. Unfortunately, it was just a little too chilly for that, by that point, so we compromised and got in the hot tub.

While Leah, David, and I (Daddy) were “swimming” in the hot tub, my aunts, Barbara, Janice, and Mary Lou, sat down with Mommy and talked with me and the kids, from beside the tub. One by one, the aunts took off for their respective destinations, which eventually led David to ask what was going on.

David: “Where’s Janice?”

Daddy: “At the hotel.”

David: “Where?”

Daddy: “On Route 23.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “So she can sleep.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because she’s tired.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because it’s night time.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because the sun went down.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because the Earth rotates on its axis.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because if it didn’t, we’d fall off.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because there’d be no gravity.”

David: “Oh.”

…which apparently explained everything, since that’s where the conversation ended. ;-)