Conversations with my boy

Me, affectionate:  “Did you know there is nobody like you in the whole world?”
GZ:  (thoughtful pause) “I think  you and boy-boy like me a little bit.”

(“boy-boy” is YM, though I’ve been known to call them both “boy-boy”)

GZ: "Computers are not the fastest thing."
Me: "What is the fastest thing?”
GZ: "RUNNING!!!!"

Me:  “Was Spot sick recently?”
GZ:  “On Sundays, he is.”

Spot and Rainbow Monkey are GZ’s “filter” for all new things.  Whenever he sees something new – say, a convertible – he processes it by announcing that either Spot or Rainbow Monkey either has one or was doing that yesterday.

All these conversations highlight the exciting fact that we are officially in the Countdown to Four.  In our family, four is the age of knowing everything.  It’s the only age where I openly acknowledge that the child really does know everything and is an expert in all fields. 

Four year olds are amazing!

They have suddenly learned enough and put enough random facts together to form thoughts, opinions and some very strong assertions about The Way the World Works.  It is unbelievably cute.  I don’t know why four and not three or five – perhaps some kids hit this age at a different point, but for my kids, it’s ALWAYS four. 

After that, it’s all downhill.  I think by five they’re a little more humble and then they start school and realize they know nothing, a slump they don’t recover from until they are thirteen or fourteen, at which point they know everything again, but not in a cute way.