Celebrating My Little Clown

My son is nine today; he shares the birthday with Sean Connery, one of his favorite actors, who turns 77.

Einstein would tell me, I'm sure, that relativity will explain how nine years seem to have gone so quickly, how time really does fly when you're having fun, or when you're in the company of a delightful child.

Now that child is old enough to tell me that he didn't answer me because "I thought it was a rhetorical question," so I guess some of the chubby-cheeked wonder of babyhood is gone forever, but each new stage holds its fascinations.

So Happy Birthday, Graham and Sean, and may you both have a wish come true.

The Mystery of Language Acquisition

This is a dialogue I had with my son this afternoon:

Me: Why is this backpack in the middle of the floor?

Him: (Unconcerned) I was wearing it earlier.

Me: Graham, do I want this lying here in the middle of the floor? Do I?

Him:

Me: Graham!

Him: What?

Me: How about answering me?

Him: (shrugging) I thought it was a rhetorical question.

Now I must mention that my son is eight, and I had no idea he knew the word "rhetorical." :)

Language acquisition is something we've long wondered about; both of our boys were early talkers and mimicked all sorts of words they heard in conversation. I suppose this helped them to start building vocabulary way back when.

We only hope that they can parlay their language skills into enjoyable and lucrative careers that will pay for Jeff's and my stay in the mental hospital.