Starts with my daughter in some kind of sad/upset/pouty mood telling a story from last summer when she was on a hike one afternoon while at summer camp:
7yo: "The boys were saying that the sound we were hearing was a flash flood warning, and it was really scary to us girls."
me: "Was it a flash flood warning?"
7yo: "NO! But it was really scary because we didn't know! Why are all boys like that?"
me: "Yeah, that's not nice. They shouldn't have done that..... Are ALL boys really like that though?"
7yo: "Yes."
me: "Am I like that?"
7yo: "Well, No."
me: "Is Pop-pop like that?"
7yo: "No."
me: "So, ALL boys are like that? Is it maybe just the boys who are kids?"
7yo: "Yeah I guess so." [still in pouty mode]
me: "Yeah, some day those boys won't be like that. We boys say a lot of dumb and not nice things when we're kids, but we eventually grow up too. Maybe not as fast as you girls, but we eventually grow up."
me: "Well, most do anyway."
[enough silence I thought the conversation was over - maybe 30 seconds]
7yo: "What do you mean, dad?"
me: "Huh? What do you mean by 'what do I mean?'"
7yo: "You said 'most do.' Do some boys not grow up?"
me: "{chuckle} I mean, mentally. [pointing to head] All boys grow up - like, in their bodies. But, ya know, some of them never really grow up in their brains. So even though they've grown up in their bodies, they're still children in their brains. So they still say mean things, try to make other people feel bad - act like those boys from your summer camp - even though they're in grown up bodies. That's all. Not many. It doesn't happen a lot. But it happens to some boys."
7yo: "Wow. I wonder how they do that." [her way of saying "I wonder how that happens"]
me: "We actually had a president who was famous for being like that."
7yo: "What!? Really!?"
me: "Yep."
7yo: "What was his name?"
me: "Donald"
7yo: "Hahahahaha... His name was DONALD!?"
me: "Yep"
[Brief extra silence]
7yo: "Wait............"
7yo: "Ohhhh.... his... last name... is't.... 'Trump'.... is it?"
me: "Yeah, actually it is. That's him."
7yo: "Oh my gosh, dad!!! Listen to this! Winter [her friend at school] said that her parents said that if Donald Trump gets elected again, they're moving to THE BAHAMAS!!"
me: "Oh really!? Wow."
7yo: "Yeah!!"
me: "Alright. Well... I guess that doesn't sound so bad."
7yo: "Yeah... But I hope he doesn't get elected. I'll bet Winter doesn't want to move to the Bahamas."
me: "Really? Why not?"
At that point, we were arriving home, she hopped out of the car, and that's how it ended. Figured the test board would get a kick out of it for a few different reasons."
7yo: "The boys were saying that the sound we were hearing was a flash flood warning, and it was really scary to us girls."
me: "Was it a flash flood warning?"
7yo: "NO! But it was really scary because we didn't know! Why are all boys like that?"
me: "Yeah, that's not nice. They shouldn't have done that..... Are ALL boys really like that though?"
7yo: "Yes."
me: "Am I like that?"
7yo: "Well, No."
me: "Is Pop-pop like that?"
7yo: "No."
me: "So, ALL boys are like that? Is it maybe just the boys who are kids?"
7yo: "Yeah I guess so." [still in pouty mode]
me: "Yeah, some day those boys won't be like that. We boys say a lot of dumb and not nice things when we're kids, but we eventually grow up too. Maybe not as fast as you girls, but we eventually grow up."
me: "Well, most do anyway."
[enough silence I thought the conversation was over - maybe 30 seconds]
7yo: "What do you mean, dad?"
me: "Huh? What do you mean by 'what do I mean?'"
7yo: "You said 'most do.' Do some boys not grow up?"
me: "{chuckle} I mean, mentally. [pointing to head] All boys grow up - like, in their bodies. But, ya know, some of them never really grow up in their brains. So even though they've grown up in their bodies, they're still children in their brains. So they still say mean things, try to make other people feel bad - act like those boys from your summer camp - even though they're in grown up bodies. That's all. Not many. It doesn't happen a lot. But it happens to some boys."
7yo: "Wow. I wonder how they do that." [her way of saying "I wonder how that happens"]
me: "We actually had a president who was famous for being like that."
7yo: "What!? Really!?"
me: "Yep."
7yo: "What was his name?"
me: "Donald"
7yo: "Hahahahaha... His name was DONALD!?"
me: "Yep"
[Brief extra silence]
7yo: "Wait............"
7yo: "Ohhhh.... his... last name... is't.... 'Trump'.... is it?"
me: "Yeah, actually it is. That's him."
7yo: "Oh my gosh, dad!!! Listen to this! Winter [her friend at school] said that her parents said that if Donald Trump gets elected again, they're moving to THE BAHAMAS!!"
me: "Oh really!? Wow."
7yo: "Yeah!!"
me: "Alright. Well... I guess that doesn't sound so bad."
7yo: "Yeah... But I hope he doesn't get elected. I'll bet Winter doesn't want to move to the Bahamas."
me: "Really? Why not?"
At that point, we were arriving home, she hopped out of the car, and that's how it ended. Figured the test board would get a kick out of it for a few different reasons."
