During a goodbye: 

Me: “Keegan, remember, if you want to say hi or talk over the weekend, you can call me on the phone.”

Keegan: [looking indignant, hands out for emphasis] “I just gave you a hug and a kiss. Like everyday! I do not need to call you on the phone!” [now walking away]

Me: “Ok then, bye!”

Keegan: “Bye!”

“Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“What are those lines on your forehead?”

“Wrinkles. Wrinkles, honey.”

“Oh. Why?”

“Because I’m getting old.”

“Oh. Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“Your hair is a little bit dried out. A little bit dry.” [patting my hair]

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Here’s some fish. It came from an old headache. It’s a big fat purple fish.” [Holding a wad of purple Play-Do]

[whispering in my ear] “Tyson puts his thumb in his mouth. He has a backpack with cars on it.”

[seriously] “Mommy, put this band-aid on your arm fur.” [Thanks, kiddo.]

[triumphantly] “This. This is my treasure chest!” [carting an empty Beast Light box he stuffed with curtain tie backs]

“Christmas trees are GREEN!” [I tried to have us buy a sparkly aqua one. We got a sparkly green one instead.]

“Cows make milk.” [Me: “Yes, and butter and cheese are made from…”] “NO! Goats make butter, and they carry it to the store. CHICKENS make the cheese.”[looking at me like I’m sooo out of the loop]

I’ve been having all sorts of fascinating conversations with my son lately. He just turned three. He’s not only a sponge for language, but his fantasy world is rich, often logical, surprising. He’ll rattle off a five minute narrative that begins with something concrete (the toilet overflowed) and leads to detailed fantasy (the account of building the boat after the entire house filled with water). We’ve been discussing, for weeks, the difference between “drain” and “drought.” A drought is hard to grasp, I guess. It equals “drain” in his speech. We can’t put more water in the bathtub because of the drought. And maybe the leaky drain.

Lately he’s been talking about dying: “Pick up the elephant [stuffed toy] or he will die! He fell into the water [the floor by the couch].” The couch is the boat, of course. Neither his father or I have cable, so he doesn’t watch much t.v. He watches his share of dvds, but they’re Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, that kind of thing. I’ve figured out he gets a lot of information from school, a Montessori school where ages 3-6 are in the same class. It’s a pretty structured class, but they do have time to chat on the playground.

Me: “Keegan, what is die? What do you mean?”

Him: “Die? That’s when you get lost.” (Looking at me like I’m an idiot for asking)

His explanation broke my heart. For one, it’s an appropriate explanation for his age. Or maybe it is what really happens. Maybe death is getting lost. I like that idea. So. I’ve been telling him not to worry about the elephant getting lost, that he’s just fine, that our boat is safe. But he has a mind for the dramatic. And there will always be older kids on the playground. We’ll see what comes up next week.