Like most mornings, I dropped the boy off and the Princess and I were wending our way to the elementary school where she hangs out with other first graders. Typically, I use this time to chat with her, remind her of our current goals, quiz her on spelling words...that sort of thing. Today, after a really rotten night of sleep, I found that I had zoned out without speaking for a mile or two, when my lovely daughter of six presented me with the following statement.
"You know dad, life never stops."
Needless to say, she had my attention. When pressed for details, she explained that babies are born, and if they are girl babies, they grow up, and then they have babies of their own. That happens "over and over and over and over". That's why life never stops.
As usual, I was stunned by her ability to think about things. I was also a bit relieved that we were speaking biologically, what with the original statement lending itself to a more philosophical interpretation that would have required more intellectual processing than my feeble brain can manage on less than a pot of coffee on days such as today. My relief was short lived, however, as she proceeded to smack me upside the noggin with the follow up postulation.
"Life never stops, and that's why life is true."
Had you been in the car with us, you might very well have heard the buzzing sound as my brain short circuited right there. You might even have caught the faint aroma of smoke. I asked her to repeat the thought, and instead she pushed me further. She said, "Life is true because...", and then she looked at me in the rear-view mirror, eyebrows raised, waiting patiently.
I responded, somewhat feebly, "Because...life never stops?"
She nodded. "Right. And?"
Well, I was spent. I told her I didn't know. I put it back on her, but she wouldn't elaborate any further. I was told that I was supposed to guess the answer, and that she wouldn't tell it to me. So when I left her, I had learned that life is true because it never stops, and that there was more to it, but it was up to me to find out what it is. Wow. I expected to occasionally learn things from my kids, but I didn't realize that they would be so deep. Frankly, I kind of miss her old, more literal style of declarations.
After all, not a lot of interpretation is necessary when presented with something like "Never lick the table".
1 comment:
Maddie is SO right! There is so much more to it. Wow! She IS deep. I think she's right. We each individually have to find out for ourselves what MORE there is to life. Maybe she knows more than we give her credit for. "Out of the mouth of babes!!!" I really liked this blog. Thanks Maddie for sharing your wisdom!!!
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