Tonight, as I prayed with Q, I said, “…and please help him to grow up to be strong and to know that You love him all the time…”
“yeah, and make him eat broccoli,” interjected Q.
I paused, collecting myself, “Are you asking God to make you eat…broccoli?” I asked, seriously.
“Yeah. You always say broccoli makes you grow up to be strong, and I never eat it, and I think I wont be strong since I hate broccoli,” he explained.
And that, my friends, is why being a mother is rewarding. I haven’t showered today, but I’ve been surprised. And amused.
This reminds me of another Sunday incident. I was showing the boys the latest OK GO video, where the band members drive around in a car and the car hits pianos, wind chimes, etc. with retractable arms. There is a scene where the car’s retractable arms are whacking a long line of blue barrels, for percussion purposes. Q asked what they were and I innocently remarked, “They’re barrels.”
“Oh. Barrels like pirates use to make rum?,” asked my four year old.
“Yes. Exactly,” I said, because I am a stinker.
“So, did they get the barrels from some pirates then?” he asked.
Feeling like an affirmative would be overstepping the boundaries of truth in advertising, I said, “It’s possible I guess, but I don’t think so. You can use barrels for other things if you’re not a pirate, they aren’t just for making rum.”
He seemed disappointed. I made a mental note to thank Robert Louis Stevenson for referring to rum so frequently in Treasure Island. It’s conversations like this that make literature so much fun.
absolutely. i am simultaneously proud and mortified when my 6 and 4 year old are loudly singning “16 men on a dead man's chest! yoyoyoyo and bottle of ruuuum!” in puplic spaces. like the church foyer. 🙂 classic literature man. keeps you honest. 🙂
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yes yes and yes. i think i like this. i think i like it a lot. my kids talk about rum a lot. and beer. and drunk people. and we don't drink so it's all kind of funny. they also like to call people dumb donkeys.
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It is so funny what children remember and decide is truth.
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Aren't kids awesome?
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broccoli, rum, pirates and prayer, all in the same day. i'm smiling just thinking of it.
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I doubt you will ever run out of things to write about.
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Showers, in my opinion, are overrated.
Being surprised and amused?
Never.
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lol yes! it's prayers like this that make us realize we're not doing everything completely wrong… and you, my friend, are doing so many things right… (and i agree with julie. showers are completely overrated. except i miss them, terribly…)
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so i'm combing my mind for barrel usage, and i pretty much come up with the following:
1. wearing around your midsection when you've been unfortunate enough to lose your clothing in public
2. rum
it's a short list, really.
you have brilliant kiddos.
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I had forgotten how hilarious you (your life?) are! I am totally subscribing to you right now…How did I lose you? Oh yes, now I remember…Computer crashing, lost bookmarks and didn't remember every bookmark I had…which is why I'm putting you on my reader.
Oh yes I am.
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Methinks you need to prepare the boy some broccoli post haste!
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What an awesome and candid snapshot of the Amusing. Keep em' coming!
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Very sweet. And how wise of him to not just pray to be strong, but to realize he has a part to play in all of it.
Love that song — that was amazing!!! Thanks for sharing.
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So funny what kids take away from stories and from the dinner table. Hope he chooses broccoli over rum.
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you've just given me a new teaching angle on Stevenson. 🙂 hope those wild pirates of yours are well, friend.
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i love you friend.
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Broccoli…and rum barrels??!! Life with kids is never dull. Your post reminds me when my 3 yr old son told me “I really love you….I really love macaroni, too!”
We're nuts, just crazy nuts!
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It is moments like those that just make being a mother totally awesome. I love the way that kids see the world.
Stopped over from SITS favorite blog list. 🙂
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Fabulous. You're doing right by those boys, Mama. And here's how you can get that boy to love broccoli. Drape it in some olive oil, a little kosher salt, some pepper if they're up to it and roast it at 425 till doneness. Maybe about 30 minutes or so. Just keep checking it. Let it caramelize and brown up a little. Then, take it out add some Parmesan cheese. Squeeze a little lemon over the top. And you're done.
I have made broccoli believers out of non-believers with that recipe.
Barrels, also good for making wine since forever.
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Fabulous. You're doing right by those boys, Mama. And here's how you can get that boy to love broccoli. Drape it in some olive oil, a little kosher salt, some pepper if they're up to it and roast it at 425 till doneness. Maybe about 30 minutes or so. Just keep checking it. Let it caramelize and brown up a little. Then, take it out add some Parmesan cheese. Squeeze a little lemon over the top. And you're done.
I have made broccoli believers out of non-believers with that recipe.
Barrels, also good for making wine since forever.
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You blog is being missed. Not much DOLOP news these days.
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Good literature is so important in a child's development. I love Robert Louis Stevenson. But not as much as I love you and your mad skills at mothering. Your boys are DANGED lucky.
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