My Kids Were Cute, Too!

There are some pretty great conversations happening on a regular basis at Jan's house . . . but it wasn't that long ago that our house was hopping with young ones and their classic comments. I recently came across an old letter I'd written to Grandma with the following story:

I was doing some household task and asked little Danny (age 6) to help. He declined. Rebecca (age 4) commented, "Danny, you're helpless."

"No Rebecca," replied Danny. "Helpless doesn't mean you won't help. It means you're in trouble and you have no power."

"Maybe he'll grow up to write a dictionary," I wrote at the time . . . . but now that I'm looking at it, it was pretty smart of a four-year-old to think of the word "helpless" in the first place! "Maybe she'll grow up to write a blog," I should have also said!

And now, to explain Jan's "Dave Blinkin" reference: Hannah was notorious for getting things ALMOST right. One February, near Presidents' Day, she came home from kindergarten very enthusiastic. (Actually Hannah was always enthusiastic.) "I'm so excited! I can't wait for Dave Blinkin's birthday!" "WHOSE birthday?" I asked. "You know, Dave Blinkin!" she answered with eyes aglow, singing the song. "Ol' Dave Blinkin, he was born in the wilderness, born in the wilderness, born in the wilderness. Ol' Dave Blinkin, he was born in the wilderness many long years ago!"

This was the very same kindergartner who proudly announced on the first day of November, "It's almost VALENTIME's DAY! Do you know how I can tell? Because there's a CHICKEN on the calendar!"