Conversation overheard . . .

A Sonlight mom who makes herself known as Xzavan posted this story last week. I asked her for permission to reprint it here, which she granted. (Thank you, Xzavan!)

We were driving yesterday [with the kids]. Our SUV is set up so it's [my husband and me] in the front, the two oldest children in the bucket seats in the middle and the two youngest and their car seats in the back. [The youngest] often talk to each other as we are driving along.

4 year old: (grabbing a bag of snacks) Um, these are good. How many calories are in these? (asked in an official, I really need to know, I am going to do something with this information tone of voice).

3 year old: Um, about 14. (In a very authoritative, I know all the answers about this kind of voice).

4 year old: That's not a lot of calories. I can eat it. (Pops one in his mouth). I can eat more calories than you can, because if you eat too many calories, it makes you fat and I am "skinnybones." (His nickname given to him because you can literally count the child's ribs, he is just about 5 and weighs 27 pounds).

Continuing: You can't eat that many calories because you are not as skinny as I am. (said in a typical toddler telling the facts straight out, not mean way. You know, the kind of voice that they say "mom, that person is fat" in the grocery store.)

3 year old: I am not fat.

4 year old: No, you are not fat. But, if you eat too many calories, you get fat. You don't want to get too fat, because then you get sick.

3 year old: I'll just eat a little bit.

4 year old: Ok. You have to bite it and chew it up good. That way, when you swallow, it goes down your "soft gus" and hits your stomach good.

3 year old: (chewing and swallowing with caution) Yeah, cuz in your stomach, it gets all mashed up.

4 year old: Yep, and it mixes up with all the ancids. Ancids make the food go to the blood. you gotta chew it up really tiny, so that it gets into all the right places, and then the blood will take it all over the body, and your body can use it to make you really strong to kick a ball.

3 year old: No it doesn't. It goes to the "ah-testings."

4 year old: Oh, yeah, it goes to the "ah-testings" and the ah-testings squash it all up. They take out all the bad stuff. You gotta get rid of the bad stuff. But, then it goes to the blood. It's gotta go to the blood or else you can't kick the ball good. You'll be too weak.

3 year old: I know (in a tone of voice that conveys she does indeed know all there is to know on the subject).

4 year old: And the blood takes it to the brain, and you get super-smart, but you gotta eat good things because bad things don't make you smart.

3 year old: I'm smart. I can count to 100. One . . .

4 year old: Two . . .

3 year old: Three . . .

. . . and off to about 110, where they get bored and stop.

But our digestion conversation [or "teaching," the basis for these children's conversation that happened last week,] was about 5 months ago.

Ah! Homeschooling! I love it!