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“What if every tow truck ran out of gas?”
“How do bodies get to heaven after they’ve been buried?”
“‘Si usted está contento y usted sabe que aplaudas! That means, ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap you hands!”
It’s not unusual for a period of 15 minutes with Squirts to follow this or some similar line of conversation. Sometimes, it’s like trying to chase popcorn. Just when you think you know where a topic is headed…pop, we’re off in another direction.
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Squirts must think that his mommy’s and daddy’s favorite word is “No.” From his perspective, it has to look like we throw the word around like confetti on New Year’s Eve. To Squirts, it must seem like our tongue is curled and our lips are pursed just waiting to spit the word out every time he asks a question. To him, it must seem like it’s just easier for us to say “No” than to reach into our store of big kids words.
“No, Squirts. You can’t have Skittles for breakfast.”
“No, Squirts. I haven’t called the police because you refused to brush your teeth.”
Every four weeks, Squirts and I head to Shannon’s place to get our hairs cut. Since Squirts started going to a salon instead of the local SuperCuts, we haven’t had any complaints from him on hair cut days. It may be that as one of the first clients in the shop, Squirts has the undivided attention of Shannon (or as Squirts has named her, “Queen of the Hair Place”) and two or three other ladies who happen to be in that early. I’ve heard that little boys don’t like to have their cheeks pinched and be fussed over—you couldn’t prove it by my kid.
On the other hand, it could be that our monthly ritual also includes a stop at the donut shop after our hair cuts.
As I enter the door to pick up Squirts from “school,” I find him playing in the large gathering room with other kids. He looks up, smiles and runs to give me a hug. All smiles and laughs today.
Before we head home, I say we should check his folder in his class for any important notes from his teacher. As sure as we forget to check the all-important folder, we’ll miss the message telling us every child should bring a lunch or our enrollment fee is doubling.
Squirts stops smiling.
“OK,” he says, “but don’t look at the board.”
