Conversation with a 3-year Old

One of the many perks about living near the ocean is that there is never a shortage of family and friends who are willing to travel to see you.  Let me just tell you that I am perfectly happy with this arrangement. While an estimated 35 million people hit the roads last weekend for the Memorial Day holiday, I was at home playing host to some of my favorite people: my best friend and her beautiful family. 

Great weather (mostly) led to some great times.  In particular, I loved being "Aunt Niki" to my friend's three year old son.  His vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year and his imagination delights me.  He's exhausting, but such a charmer.  On day two of their visit we were getting ready to stroll down to the beach for some good ol' fashioned kite-flying.  When it was time to go, I noticed my flip flops were strangely missing.  Here is the conversation that ensued:


Me: RJ, where are Aunt Niki’s shoes?
RJ: They disappeared!
Me: As in magically disappeared?
RJ: Yep
Me: Can you make them reappear, please?
RJ: I don’t think so. Nope.
Me: Why not?
RJ: Because they disappeared!
Me: Okay.  How ‘bout this?  Take this magic wand (hands him a stick) and use it to find my shoes.
RJ:  This?
Me: Yes.  It’s magic. Just say “Shoeus Appearus” over and over again around the house.  Maybe it will lead you to Aunt Niki’s shoes. Okay?
RJ: Okay.  (Goes through house saying “Shoeus Appearus” several times.)
Best Friend: Are you teaching my son witchcraft?
Me: No, don’t be absurd.  It’s wizardry.

RJ returns 10 minutes later.

Me: Well?  Did you find my shoes?
RJ: Nope.
Me: What about the magic?  It didn’t work?
RJ: I’m not magic anymore.  I’m a robot dinosaur. 
Me: Oh. I don’t suppose robot dinosaurs know how to find shoes, do they?
RJ: No. 
Me: Sigh.  I was afraid of that.

We did eventually find the magically disappearing shoes (after several other members of the family joined in the search party) and we even managed to make it to the beach for a few hours of sunshine and kite-flying before traipsing back home for BBQ. The robot dinosaur morphed into Iron Man by dinner time and was back to just plain ol' RJ (my preferred version), pajama'd and sleepy, just in time for bed.  Hugs and kisses for everyone and the flip flops on my feet...

And that's what I call a very good day.

 

 

Today's Gratitude List:

• a cat nap on the couch
• a message from an old friend
• vitamin C
• a short work week