Van conversations are always interesting when you have a lot of children. Innocent questions asked in order to redirect conversation from who got to sit in that seat last time, or questions asked in order to avoid hearing a group chorus of the latest ear-worm sung by pretend Yodas, often yield unexpected information.
After church Sunday, in order to prevent the two youngest from spending time explaining to me the finer points of a video game that they were hoping to play, I asked my youngest man-child what he had learned in Sunday School.
"There's a really mean kid in my class." he commented rather cheerfully.
"Oh," was my brilliant reply. "Um, how do you know he's mean?"
"He likes to randomly hit people. When I walked in the room and was going to the table he punched me in the stomach."
"Oh," double reply from me and his fifteen year old brother. whose ears had suddenly perked up. Brilliance runs in the family and the fifteen year old has proprietary rights over messing with his little brothers.
Fifteen year old gave a better try, "Don't you think he's just trying to play around like we do when we punch at each other to have fun. Maybe the kid just doesn't know how to let you know he's trying to be friendly."
Pause from the back seat, "No, he's just mean. He punches other kids too. "
I jumped back in, "Where was the teacher?"
"She wasn't there yet."
Hmmmm. I'm thinking fast.
"It's o.k. though," my nine year old explained with a bit of world weary confidence. "The kid does NOT know how to throw a punch properly AT ALL. So it doesn't hurt."
I know what I said- but I'm curious; what would you have said to your nine year old, especially if you have a nine year old who does know how to throw a punch properly?
.
After church Sunday, in order to prevent the two youngest from spending time explaining to me the finer points of a video game that they were hoping to play, I asked my youngest man-child what he had learned in Sunday School.
"There's a really mean kid in my class." he commented rather cheerfully.
"Oh," was my brilliant reply. "Um, how do you know he's mean?"
"He likes to randomly hit people. When I walked in the room and was going to the table he punched me in the stomach."
"Oh," double reply from me and his fifteen year old brother. whose ears had suddenly perked up. Brilliance runs in the family and the fifteen year old has proprietary rights over messing with his little brothers.
Fifteen year old gave a better try, "Don't you think he's just trying to play around like we do when we punch at each other to have fun. Maybe the kid just doesn't know how to let you know he's trying to be friendly."
Pause from the back seat, "No, he's just mean. He punches other kids too. "
I jumped back in, "Where was the teacher?"
"She wasn't there yet."
Hmmmm. I'm thinking fast.
"It's o.k. though," my nine year old explained with a bit of world weary confidence. "The kid does NOT know how to throw a punch properly AT ALL. So it doesn't hurt."
I know what I said- but I'm curious; what would you have said to your nine year old, especially if you have a nine year old who does know how to throw a punch properly?
.
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