Obesity

Fatness is confusing to our kids, especially fat men.

One of the men at Emmy's daycare is really really overweight. One day Marin was staring at him and asked me "Daddy, that man a him or a her?" I told her it was a him. She asked "Him having a baby?" I thought what kind of question is that and told her "No." Marin insisted he was having a baby and when I kept saying "no" she got these puzzled looks on her face.

So Colleen and I were discussing that one evening and it occurred to us that Marin had never seen fat people in her village unless they were pregnant. So she did not understand how somebody could be fat and NOT pregnant. It just did not compute. Every day continues to reinforce what a fascinating place our kids came from.

Africa in America

Our kids talk about Africa a lot now. Some of it is obviously manufactured - for example - Marin insists she used to play ice hockey in Africa; but some of it is very interesting and gives some insight into what their life was like.

For example, we went apple picking last weekend. While there, we saw a tractor pull a large wagon full of black men through the orchard. I believe they were migrant workers. Their clothes were well worn and they had the look about them of people who lived a very hard life. Marin perked up and said "Daddy, look. Them brown skin people from Africa. I knowed them. I knowed all of them in Africa." And even though it's impossible she knew these particular people; it is very likely that she saw this scene every day in Africa. A wagon full of laborers being pulled by a team of donkeys or cattle through the streets of her village.

Just today, the kids and I were out in the driveway playing. Marin asked me to help her draw a hopscotch grid using driveway chalk and Emmy was riding her bike. I lost track of Emmy for a minute and then she called my name. I looked around and did not see her, but her voice was very close by. Then I looked up, and she had climbed a tree to about 15 feet off the ground. Emmy is three years old, I have never seen her climb a tree even one branch high, I am forever lecturing her about how dangerous stairs are, and she is very cautious on playground equipment. Even in the apple orchard last weekend, Emmy did not climb trees.

Now I am looking up wondering how the heck I am going to get Emmy down. I asked Marin "Where did Emmy learn to climb a tree?" and Marin said "We do that in Africa to get food. Watch, I show you." And Marin proceeded to scamper up the tree next to Emmy. Unbelievable.

Brown Skin

Emmy is finally noticing skin color in a big way, is quite fascinated by it, and raises some interesting questions.

For example, while bathing in the tub, she asked if she washed hard enough would she have white skin. When told no, she quietly pondered that for awhile. Then she asked "When I go to heaven, will I have white skin then?"

Yesterday Emmy was on the phone with Colleen. She told Colleen she was going to draw a picture of Colleen eating ice cream. Colleen thanked Emmy and told her she can't wait to see it. Then Emmy asked Colleen "Mama, you want me to draw you with white skin or brown skin?"

Scholarship money

Readers of the blog know we have raised the kids to be value shoppers and save money for college. When we go shopping and the kids want something, they pick it up, look at me and ask "go to college?" If I say yes, then they put it in the basket; otherwise, they put it back on the shelf. It's a great system.

Last weekend I bought a giant package of hot dogs to take to a cookout. It was on the countertop and Emmy saw it. She picked it up, her eyes got huge, and she said "Mama, this is a big one!" "Are we still going to college?"

Biology lesson

Colleen recently asked Marin how her day at school was. Marin talked and talked about the new boy at school named Michael. All about Michael - his hair color, how tall, what games he liked on the playground, what was in his lunchbox, and on and on and on.

During this entire monologue, Emmy sat quietly and attentively, hanging on Marin's every word. When Marin finally finished, Emmy looked right at her with this deadpan expression and asked "So Marin, did him have a penis?"

I had to sprint to the other room so Emmy did not see me laughing. Marin had a total fit. "Emmy. No potty talk in the kitchen. That's gross. That's disgusting. We don't talk that way here. You need a time out."

And Emmy said "Did him?"

Koo Koo Loo hit and run

This morning, as we were leaving, there was an enormous ball of feathers smack in the middle of our driveway. It looked strangely familiar, but utterly foreign. I finally figured out it was a dead chicken or rooster. (the guy across the street keeps a flock) By the way, kookooloo is the amharic word for rooster.

I had been staring at it long enough that the kids saw it........and the questions began. We're talking torrential questions.

What is it, Daddy? Kookooloo?
Him dead? Why him dead?
He in heaven?
How you know that?
Can we see him?
He gonna wake up tomorrow?
His mama know?
Is he bleeding?
Call the doctor? Medicine? Bandaids?
Is the kookooloo a him or a her?
Can we eat him?
How we gonna have eggs now?

Marin's Secrets

Last night I was lying down with Marin trying to get her settled to sleep. She was so excited. She said she had a lot of secrets to tell. She pulled her sheet up over her face and began whispering her secrets into the sheet.

" I love Mama. She's too pretty. She makes my chicken nuggets and potato tots. I love it when she does that, and when she hugs me."

"I love Emmy. I love to play with her. She so cute. She my favorite sister."

"I love Daddy. He a big boy. He take good care of me. He so handsome, too."

And on and on about her grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends at school. She had something really thoughtful and nice to say about everybody. She is such a sweet kid.