I Have No Words...

One of the joys of having a kiddo who is whip-smart is that he doesn’t forget.  Anything.  Seriously – his rote memory is out-of-this-world fantastic!  (His dynamic thinking, on the other hand, is something we’re still working to support.  More on that another time.)

His memory is fantastic when it comes to unnecessary details.  For example…

The color of the sweater his babysitter was wearing when he met her:  bright orange.

The number of times hubby has gotten lost while driving kiddo to horses:  twice (unless you count “that one time he went through Wayland” – then, it’s three times).

Whether the book says “and” or “to” (or whatever word), based on how it was read to him the first time.  (Please don’t err on the initial reading; it’s a booger to be edited all the time while reading when I’m not making mistakes, simply because he remembers what someone else said first.).

What toys were where in the doctor’s office, and which ones are missing or have been moved around.  (Perhaps they could hire him for a few hours each day to straighten it all out?).

The list goes on and on…

Because of this skill set, our conversations when in the car together often require me to be on my “A” game.  Most days, I feel like I’m somewhere between J and K, so I constantly have to scramble to answer the questions he poses.  Most of the time, I really don’t know what to say.

Earlier this year, we were coming home from an appointment and were stopped at a red light.  Kiddo really likes to watch the red hand flash, and predict when the walker will light up, and was asking me about the timing of the stoplight and crosswalk lights.  Our conversation went something like this:

Kiddo: Mom, do you see the red hand?

Me: Yes, I do.

K: Do you know that means stop?
Me: Yes. The person walking has to wait to cross the street.
K: When will it change?
Me: When the stoplight turns green, the little person will light up.

K: Why is he white?
Me: What?
K: The person. Why is he white?

Me (looking around for "the person" and getting concerned my son is aware of different skin tones).  What person?

K:  Ugh!  The one right there!  (Pointing to the crosswalk light.)

Me:  Umm...to let the walker know it's okay to go across the street.

K:  YES (getting exasperated) but why is it WHITE?!  If red means "stop" and green means "go," then why isn't the person GREEN?!  You know, he really should be GREEN, Mom!  Maybe you can have them fix that.

Yeah.  That's what I'm up against most of the time, and he won't be seven until next month.  How in the world can I argue with that logic?!  (Yes, mother, I know you're secretly laughing that I have a child who is a lot like me.  Damn Karma, anyway!)

I love the fact that, not only does he see a more sensible option, but he thinks I have the power to make it happen.  I have no words for that.