Out of the Mouths of Babes

Supergerky has really been something lately. A couple of stories:

A few days ago, supergerky was very upset when we told him it was bedtime. He usually goes to bed quite easily, but for whatever reason, this night he claimed to be not tired and wanted to come downstairs and play. He was sitting in his bed crying at one point started saying that he wanted a new mommy and dad. This incensed me as he doesn't usually say things like that. I angrily stormed into his room and told him that that was hurtful and that when I am upset with him that I don't say that I want a new son and that he should be careful of saying things that he didn't mean, but that if he meant that the next day I would take him to the Department of Mommies and Daddies and we would see what we could do.

So fast forward to yesterday, Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and forgiveness. We took the boys to family service and when the rabbi was talking about saying things we don't mean, he turned to his daddy and said "you don't know this, but when I was upset the other night, I said that I didn't love you (I didn't hear that part) and said that I wanted a new daddy. Well, I didn't mean that, and I am really sorry." I cried. What a good kid. Of course, he also said he wanted a new mommy and I am still waiting for my apology. Maybe he only changed his mind about daddy? Hmm..


Supergerky's school is about half a mile away from the house and on days that it isn't raining I like to walk him there. I figure the weather is gonna get too cold soon enough and it's a nice way to start the day - a walk, talking, etc. Well, he has been really lazy lately and the minute we walk out of the house he complains that his feet hurt. I know they don't because when we go to a "fun place" he can walk for hours without ever complaining about his feet. And when I asked him to show me where on his foot it hurt, he pointed to the side of his foot (instead of the bottow where you would expect feet to hurt from walking too much). I know his sneakers aren't too tight - he is just being lazy. ANYWAY..

This morning he starts in the minute we leave the driveway about his feet. I finally said to him "you know why I like to walk in the mornings with you? Because it gives me a chance to spend some special time with my first born. We can talk, we can hold hands and just spend some time together - without the tv, without your brother needing something, without the dog needing to go out or the cat meowing over something, without having to cook, clean, do laundry, answer the phone, read the mail, nothing else, just you and me, together walking and making memories that I hope will stay with both of us forever. That's why I like to walk with you and if you would stop and think about it a little, you might start to enjoy our little walks together." Absolute silence. He seemed to really be thinking about that, chewing it over, and after about 10 steps he says..

"Mommy?" another beat "how do babies get out of their mommy's tummies?" Maybe tomorrow we will drive.


So, thinking fast that I am not ready for my 5 year old to really understand the mechanics of childbirth (this, the boy who still thinks the female genitalia is called a "regina"), I explain to him that with him and his brother, I had surgery and the doctor made a cut in tummy and pulled them out. I'm not sure why I thought that cutting me open would be less disgusting to him than just explaining natural childbirth, but that's the way I decided to go with it. I then launched into more a description of what happened AFTER the actual birth - I told him about how the nurses cleaned him up, and counted his fingers and toes, and brought him over to me so I could cuddle him for a few minutes, and then how he went to the nursery for a bath and to warm him up etc. I told him how his daddy went with him and sang to him and then I fed him and held him and on and on and on. I told him I couldn't get out of bed right away so I held him in the bed with me - and he said "because you had another baby in there, right?" Um, no, your daddy isn't quite THAT good!

Then we talked about when Magician was born - how his aunt and his cousin stayed with him, and then his grandma and grampy came and played with him, and took him to Burger King and watched Finding Nemo with him, Then how the next day he came to the hospital and climbed into my hospital bed with me and we took a long nap together, and he met his brother for the very first time and was so great with him and gentle and held him, etc. After THAT whole story, he said "Mommy, you know what my favorite part of that story was? Going to Burger King." Sigh.