What else

Boss has started that phase... you know, the one which demarcates his move into childhood from baby-dom. Everything now is not "how", but "why"?? So far the questions haven't been too alarming and the answer "I don't know" will satisfy, but I am dreading the "Magnus Magnusson" era when "pass" is not an option....

So, we have pretty much established that I have no penis in any shape or form, but now why don't I have a willy wonka then... crikey, because I'm a girl?? Will that suffice? Phew it did.

I mean, as someone who has a degree in Philosophy and Sociology I can take the more metaphysical approach if he so desires, and "why don't I have a willy" could be the start of a whole new topic on existentialist questions. Which I think a 3 or 4 year old would deeply appreciate... it would be quite an interesting exercise. I am sure the LEA would be running for the hills if I took that route. He already has started talking about "death", but I think he is enjoying the reaction of people frightened by it rather than deeply pondering the ins and outs of it all. But it has got us into the "good life" area of moral philosophy at any rate, but perhaps he is still too young for Wittgenstein just yet. Shame.

Last year we were "doing" the tree topic - and he learned the fact that when you put seeds into the ground they turn into flowers or trees. One day his Dad was late home and Boss asked where he was, to which I just bit the bullet and told him his Dad was at a funeral. So what was a funeral. Well a man is dead and they are putting him in the ground to go back to Allah to answer for everything he has done with his life. Stunned silence. No... not quite understood you, Mum. Where's Dad. Same answer. Same question again. Same answer again. And so on for half an hour - which only finishes when he consolidates this information with "Man dead?"..."yes" ... "Daddy putting him in ground?" .... "yes".... *cogs working* ... "He grow into a tree later??". Plus the fact that funeral cars go along our road almost every day means that Boss has been introduced to the reality of death and the Qur'anic verse "Everything that exists will one day perish, and the only thing that remains is Allah" from early on.

Now he tries to make people cry with it.

He says, "Mummy... your nana is dead". Well, yeah. I'm over it. Hm... no reaction. So who's next. "Mummy, you will die soon". OK. Any particular preferences where you would like to be brought up then? OK so that didn't have Mum bawling either. The phone rings, "Nana... your nana dead?" ... "You what, son? What did you say?" *I explain*... "Oh yes, pet. My nana died a long time ago".... "Nana... you're going to die soon".... can you imagine the reaction to that??!

Hm...

He also knows about Jannah and Jahannum, and has introduced this into his playtime with his cars, especially police cars. "I arrest the bad people" .... "Are you, darling?"... "Yes, I'm taking them to Jahannum". Good grief. Bit drastic - wait til the Court of Appeal has OK-ed that first, yeah.


So if Boss accosts you and tells you are going to die soon don't take it personally. I mean, you are, but he's not pyschic or anything....