Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Conversations with a 4 year old

Easton has become quite entertaining and very inquisitive lately. Here are how some of our conversations have gone:

Easton: "That is a big moon."
Me: "When it is a circle like that, it is called a Full Moon."
Easton: "And sometimes, moons are shaped like bananas."


Easton: (looking at a skeleton) We have lots of bones in our bodies.
Me: Yes, we do have a lot of bones.
Easton: And sometimes people don't have bones.
Me: No, everyone has to have bones, or else we couldn't walk.
Easton: Yeah, if you don't have bones you turn into jello.


(Max is screeching on the floor)
Easton: Mom, why are babies so loud? (He said this with a very annoyed tone of voice.)


We have also recently read a book about a little black girl in the 50's era, in the south with segragation. She talks about why she doesn't get why she can't sit in the front of the bus, or sit on a park bench, or even go into certain restaurants. Easton has some cute little black friends in his preschool class. So we discussed how, a long time ago, his friends wouldn't have been able to sit with him on the bus, or maybe go to school with him just because they have dark skin. This made him very sad, but I told him its okay now, and isn't he glad that he gets to play with Ruth and Jeremiah at school (their names). Well, today he recalled this as he got ready for school.

Easton: There are three friends that have dark skin.
Me: Yeah.
Easton: And there are lots of friends who don't have dark skin.
Me: Okay.
Easton: And the friends with dark skin have to sit in the back of the bus.
Me: Oh no, Easton! Thats what USED to happen. They can sit wherever they want to now, isn't that nice!
Easton: Yeah!

So obviously, this was too large of a concept to teach to my 4 year old, but he is getting it.......sort of. We might have to reteach some of this, so he doesn't say anything questionable at school to his teacher or to his friends.

Anyway, Easton has very funny things to say, and he is so serious when he talks, and we love that he is growing up to be such a cute and wonderful big kid.