Logic, Reason, and Treason

Like all you moms out there, I really think my kids are incredibly cute and intelligent. I am constantly amazed at how smart they are. Hyrum is always trying to put things together and figure out how things work. Whenever I vacuum he tries to take the blasted thing apart to figure out what makes it make all that noise. He has figured out how to feed the fish, and even though today he fed our three fish two big containers full of food, he knows how it works--well sort of. He has figured out how to obtain things from the highest shelf in our cupboards and can dress and undress himself at will. Last week in Sacrament meeting during the Sacrament, he decided that his church clothes were too constricting, so he pulled down his pants when I wasn't looking and undid one of the strips of his diaper. That all too familiar ripping sound of Hyrum taking off his diaper got my attention right away, and I was able to refasten his diaper strap and quickly pull up his pants before our Sacrament meeting became R rated. He is smart...or a future streaker--I'm going with smart though.

Thobe is equally amazing. The other day he came up to me and said with a small coin in his hand and said, "Mom, this is a nickel. How many cents are in a nickel?" I asked him to tell me, and he said, "There are 5 cents in a nickel. There is one cent in a penny, and 100 cents in a dollar." I was shocked. I remember talking about money to Alden last year, and he had such a hard time understanding that. A few days later, Thobe said, "Mommy, President Jefferson is on a nickel, and so is Montecello. Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln is on a penny? He is." To admit my ignorance, I actually didn't know that Montecello was on a nickel, but when I told Michael what Thobe had told me, he was blown away (I doubt that few of you are as money illiterate as I am, but Montecello is the home of Thomas Jefferson--another little tidbit that Thobe knew that I did not). Thobe has also started reading--as I've mentioned earlier. I am serious when I say this that he is an amazing reader. I think he must have a photographic memory or something because if you tell him something, he doesn't forget it. We spend 20 minutes everyday doing this reading program, and I just can't believe how well he's doing. He's a smarty.

Alden is constantly impressing people with his smarts. All our boys speak Spanish, but since Alden is older, he's the most proficient at it. He also has a memory like a steal trap and does extremely well in school. He always loves to tell jokes and lately has come up with some really good ones that he's set up himself. For example, we've been reading a lot of Shel Silverstein poems. One of his favorites is "Peanut Butter Sandwich," which ends with the king saying, "How 'bout a peanut butter sandwich?" The other day Alden asked me why I always make him peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch. He told me he likes other kinds of sandwiches too. I asked him what other kinds he'd like me to make him, and he got a little twinkle in his eye and said in a silly voice, "How 'bout a peanut butter sandwich?"

I also want to mention that from December to the middle of February, Alden played basketball. He made huge strides over the course of his game. He worked very hard and his coach outside of the his basketball team (A.K.A. Grandpa Monday) did so much to help him be successful. It was a lot of fun watching Alden improve. He is a very good shooter.

Up until Friday, I've been very happy that my kids are intelligent. I have enjoyed watching them grow and develop reasoning skills; however, the other day, my sweet little Alden's reasoning skills turned to treasoning skills. What do you do when your child makes a logical connection that proves that you are indeed an idiot? The past few months, Michael has been working really hard to establish the Ohio Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Society (a society primarily for LDS attorneys) and met with a bunch of people in Toledo for dinner and then a fireside (I should write a post about how exciting this has been and all the miracles that we've experienced through this). Anyway, Michael's parents generously offered to meet us at the restaurant and pick up the kids and watch them for the evening but got stuck in traffic on the way there. Consequently, I waited in the car for them, and Michael went inside the restaurant where there were people waiting for him. I had a bunch of forms on the floor of the van and told the kids that they could run all over the back of the van, but they needed to stay away from my papers. Of course our van doesn't provide a lot of space for running, and the boys kept stepping on my papers. After about seven scoldings from me, Alden intelligently asked, "Mom, why don't you just put those papers up on the dashboard?"

I responded in my oh so wise motherly voice, "Because."

"Because why?" Alden asked.

"Just because," I answered fairly annoyed.

"Mom," the litte traitor responded, "You have to have a reason for things. You just can't say 'because.'"

Maybe having smart kids is more of a curse than a blessing.