That story reminds me of one my mom tells about me. When I was about 3 and my brother was 5, my mom had to take us both on a long cross-country flight. The guy opposite the aisle was a very nervous flyer, and of course fate would have it that this is the flight my brother starts saying "Gee guys I hope we crash so that we can go down that cool slide! And if we crash on water we can go in that raft!"

The guy seemed to find my brother and I pretty funny, though, so his wife asked if she could come sit with my mom, and we would sit across the aisle with the guy. My mom was glad to have the two of us occupied, so we sat with him the whole flight and he drew cartoons for us and such. The guy's wife told my mom towards the end of the flight that this had been the first time he had flown in 15 years or something, that he was a total white knuckle flier and was supposed to be taking some sort of sedative, but that having my brother and I there being silly helped more than the sleeping pill ever would have.

Isn't it funny how little kids' perspectives can completely change a situation?

Little kids are great!

Yeah, I can't think of him without smiling broadly.

Actually, I can't think of anything right now without smiling broadly. Happy to be alive.

My nephew was hanging around with his dad at the pool one afternoon last week when a lady acquaintance of his gave him the Lightning McQueen (a Cars tie-in) toy from her Happy Meal, a particularly well-built spring-loaded racer balanced well enough to pop wheelies if you run it right.

On Monday after breakfast, he turned to my brother and said, "I heard there's a movie about Lightning McQueen playing at the movie theater. Maybe we could go on Tuesday or Thursday."

So he and his dad went on his first trip to the cinema on Tuesday to take in the film. At one quiet point, he asked, "Where's Lightning?" but otherwise he sat still through two hours of movie and a half-hour of previews. During another lull, he turned to my brother and said, "I like how it's dark in the movie theater."

I always think of 3 as being a very magical age. Kids are so excitable and joyful at that age, and it shows, because they can carry on a conversation pretty well. They ask questions that are profoundly basic and yet incredibly challenging, making adults realize how little we actually know, sometimes. I love overhearing the talk of three-year-old children.

I think you're right, miko, three is a magic age. I think it's the time where you can get away doing and saying whatever you want, unchecked, without any self-consciousness at all.

he sat still through two hours of movie and a half-hour of previews

I get a lot of hope from that Hugh. I cannot wait for the time I can take my (now) 2year olds to a movie theatre. Or any other theatre, for that matter.

My kids where crazy happy with the storms. I was thinking they might be afraid of the thunder but no! they were very excited instead. Then my daughter went over to the light switch and was pretending to "cause" lightning while her brother did the thunder. As for the explanation, the only thing they retained is that "something" jumps from one cloud to the other....

I would like for your nephew to be spiritual president of the world. That is to say, not subject him to any of the stresses of governing directly but merely intuit from his utterences what we should be doing. That's what I vote.

Hugh, I luuuuuurve stories about your nephew!

Such sweet stories...

Once, I had the pleasure of overhearing a young boy, sitting on the steps of a rowhouse with his father, saying, "I wanna talk to God." To which the father says, "Well, I'm sorry son, but you can't talk to God. God's in heaven."

But the son wasn't giving up so easily. "Just for a minute," he said. "I wanna talk to God. I promise I'll come right back."

The father just smiled and shrugged.

Kids are so great!

I advise anyone who has/is planning to have kids to get a journal to jot down the funny things they say when they say it. You'd be amazed at what comes out of their mouths. I kick myself for not doing that with my first son, though I was still able to catch funny things before he got too savvy. I was once buying one of those things that pulls mucus from an infant's nose for his little brother. My son was about 4 at the time. He looks at it, notes the clear suction end, and asks "Does it gots a light?"


kids are great, especially small kids.