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There She Grows

During our walks, Lil will often pick up one of the big pinecone-shaped seeds that fall from the trees lining our block. The other day she held it up and announced, “this and the tree match.”

The tree truly was the exact shape as the seed. I told her that was a very good observation to make, and that’s a connection that can be found time and again throughout nature. Miraculously, she left it at that. For now. But sometimes when we tread on subjects of such potential depth, she wants to know much more. It amazes me, the discussions we get into nowadays. Most always initiated by Lil, her curiosity and alarming understanding about certain things.

Parents often joke about forgetting things they’ve learned in school and having to re-learn alongside (and from) their children. I of course expected that too, but I didn’t think it would be going on at age 2. Just the other day she caught me off guard with a question I was pretty sure I should know the answer to.

It was about hibernation. She knows bears hibernate, as well as other animals like chipmunks. A few of her books have referenced the concept and we have discussed it at length. The other day she was talking again about hibernation and asks me, do skunks hibernate? Now I’m pretty sure they don’t… only because we can too often smell them in the silverlake atwater area. But… do they? I realized quickly I need to review. Everything.

Another time, pollination was the subject. She’s long been aware of the important role played by bees in that arena, and has gradually gathered clues that other animals also do their part. Birds for instance, and other insects. So the other day we’re walking around the neighborhood and there’s a cute flag on a house. She points it out to me. “Look mom, at that flag. It has flowers on it. And ladybugs.” By the way, the house was across and down the street. But before I could finish thinking to myself yet again how good her eyes are, she continued. “Do ladybugs pollinate, mom?” Hmmmmmm. “They eat aphids, which is a good thing, but I don’t think they pollinate” I tell her. Then I realize I’m not positive. “I’ll have to consult the internet at home and get back to you.” Yikes.

And now she doesn’t just go around asking questions. She goes around stating facts. Just to point them out I suppose… out of nowhere, lol. She’ll be jumping around the house and suddenly stop to point out, “Spiders eat bugs.” and then just go back to what she was doing. Other subjects she is keen on bringing up include but are not limited to: the fact that the food we eat goes down into our body. the fact that plants use sunlight to make food. anything else she’s heard relating to animals like, monkeys like bananas. all birds have a beak. penguins swim. a baby kangaroo is a joey. There’s been lots of interest in human babies these days, actually. And the fact that babies are made inside our bodies (she gets a little carried away on this one and has oft proclaimed that she has “babies inside her body. right now. and they are going to come out to play any second now.” Or sometimes, “in forty minutes.” I tell her she may be a big kid but she needs to be a woman for that. “When I’m a really big girl. When I’m 5″ she says. yikes. lol.

She has become interested in the rules of the road. “Red means stop. you’re stopped mom? Green, now we can go. The bus is waiting for us. That black car turned. He has to wait. Why he is honking? Why not he turned?” Its like a running commentary from the peanut gallery back there. peppered with “I want to hear the spanish songs!!”

Earlier today she tells me, “Chicago is very far away. I take an airplane there” Btw she is very keen on the concept of the whole world, and its relation to outer space. Then she says, “the sun is very far away from earth.” No kidding. I tell her she’s right, but in the grand scheme of the universe, its actually very very close. Its all relative.” I can see her taking it all in. I figure she’s not ready to understand that quite yet but I guarantee she’ll remember it. She only has to hear something one time and its in the vault. Is this normal kind of banter moms have with their 2 yr olds? I wouldn’t know, honestly.