Their Minds Are Really Working These Days

I vividly remember the early days of my life as a Mama.  Hour after hour of baby talk, cooing and babbling.  Matt would come home from work and I’d talk.  And talk.  And I would soak in the intelligent words that he would respond with… savoring the adult conversation.  Because being home by myself with a baby, and then a baby and a toddler, for 11 hours straight made my brain turn into mush.     

Fast forward 5 and a half years and I’m constantly in the midst of conversations that are beyond me – questions that make my head spin and send me flying to the internet or my Bible for answers. 

Gage and Cooper seem to have over night become inquisitive of the ways of our world, our universe, our God, our creation… everything!

The other night during dinner, Gage peered out the window and saw the sliver of the moon.  He excitedly pointed it out to us and sought an explanation for why sometimes the moon looks like the letter ‘C’ and sometimes its a big circle.  Do I know anything about the Solar System?? Not much.  Thank goodness Matt was there to handle that one. 

Not too long ago, I had to get into it with the boys about lying.  I of course encouraged them to always tell me the truth, but even if they don’t “Jesus knows the truth”.  A few days later, Gage asked me what does Jesus do if he knows we are lying.  He wanted to know, “How does God discipline us?”  I wasn’t sure if I should get into the Bible story of how the two people who promised to give all of the money they earned to God, but didn’t, were struck down dead…  “Good question, Bud.”  I responded.  “Let’s go talk about that.”  I’m still not sure if I gave him the right answers but it did evoke a great conversation about obedience and honesty.  

Cooper’s given me a few good, insightful conversations lately, too.  Just the other night he lectured me extensively about cavities.  How they form, what causes them, how the dentist fixes them and what we do to avoid them. 

I sure wish I could have a little bitty tape recorder, ready to record these conversations so I can always hear him say, “And then, you eat candy.  And then, it sticks to your teeth.  And then, you need to brush them.  Because.  If you don’t.  You’ll get a hole.  In your tooth.  And then, it’ll hurt.  Real bad.  And then.  You’ll have to go to the dentist.  And then.  He’ll have to fill the hole with some stuff.  And then, that’ll hurt…” 

I can hear it so clearly in my head right now, but surely, with time, it’ll fade. 

And an ongoing, agonizing discussion I keep having to have with Cooper is regarding my love for Kaden.  Specifically, in Cooper’s words, “Mama, why do you love Kaden so much more than me?”  He thinks this because I am constantly having to fetch Kaden away from doing things that will hurt him – consequently sometimes taking me away from my time with Cooper or making Cooper have to wait his turn. 

It breaks my heart that his little brain even conjures up this type of thought.

He also asks questions like “Mama, will I always be a boy or will I someday be a panda bear?”  

At the end of almost everyday, I am exhausted from answering questions – wise, insightful questions, as well as questions that are so basic that its hard to put answers actually into words!  Or questions about things that are so common, that the answers have never crossed my mind.  Like,  “Why does it sometimes drizzle and other times rain really hard?” 

And now-a-days, when Matt and I have our time together, I want to do anything but talk.  I don’t want to hear anything, not even my own thoughts. 

Because my brain is mush.  Still, mush!   Funny how things work out.