Coloring and conversations

Ari and I colored last night. Can you guess who colored which picture?

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A few recent Ari conversations...

Ari: Who dances?

Tony: Well, Mommy and Daddy dance.

Ari: I dance too. I dance cool. I like when the music is loud and then I spin around and dance. And I dance cool.

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On the way to the babysitter's, I had the "Glee" soundtrack on, and in my rearview mirror I saw Ari's head bopping around...

Me: Hey, are you dancing? *starts bopping my head around like hers*

Ari: (seriously) This dance is only for little kids.

(When I told Tony about this later, he said she said the same thing to him the other day. Maybe it's her way of "getting back at us" for all the things we tell her are for grown-ups only?)

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Conversation during the last couple minutes of our drive to the babysitter's house (on a different day)...

Ari: Oh, I guess I see something!

Me: What, baby?

Ari: Pretty colors!

Me: Oh, I see them too. That's because the sun is coming up. You know how the sky turns pretty colors when the sun goes down?

Ari: Yeah.

Me: Well, it does the same thing when the sun comes up. And that's called sunrise.

Ari: Why does the sky turn pretty colors?

Me: Because... well, because God made it that way.

Ari: Oh, I see a pond!

Me: Yup, I see it too.

Ari: Why do ducks live in a pond?

Me: Because they like it there.

Ari: How come there's no ducks there now?

Me: Oh, because it's too cold.

Ari: No, it's not, it's warm.

Me: No, baby, I think it's too cold for them right now.

Ari: No, it's not. They're warm.

Me: OK, if you say so.

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And... one last Ari conversation... except this one isn't necessarily a funny one... just one that got me thinking...

Ari wanted to watch "Lilo and Stitch" a few nights ago. She and I have watched it together once, but a couple months ago. When Lilo's sister first appeared on screen, Ari asked, "Why is Lilo's mommy mad?"

Without really thinking of the implications of my answer, I jumped in and said, "Oh, that's not Lilo's mommy. That's her big sister."

I should have seen Ari's next question coming: "Where is Lilo's mommy and daddy?" (For those who don't know... *spoiler alert*... Lilo's parents died in a car accident. It's Disney--don't act surprised.)

I hesitated only a moment before deciding on the most direct and honest answer. "Well, they died."

And then I held my breath and waited for the repercussions of that answer.

Her response was to point at the screen and yell, "Lookit that monster guy, he's so funny!"

I glanced at Tony and said, "Wow, I got off that easy? Awesome."

I know as she gets older, I won't get let off the hook as easily. But if she had kept questioning, I don't think I would have avoided her questions. I might have stumbled a little, trying to phrase my answers appropriately, but I would find a way to tell her the truth, in simple terms. I guess I look at it this way... she's going to learn about death sooner or later. Anything we can do now to ease her into some sort of understanding about the concept of death can only be helpful.

I keep forgetting how quickly she's growing up. She amazes me almost every day with the things she remembers, the questions she asks, the adult-like phrases she uses (like last night, when she said to me, "OK, Mommy, here's the deal..."). I guess I keep thinking that I still have years before I have to handle tough questions with her... and more and more, I'm realizing that's not true. I need to start thinking a little more about how to answer her, so I'm not caught off-guard.