Dad Entry #92

We visited Minnesota recently. The seating arrangement at meals is a pressing matter for Megan and Ellie. Who gets to sit by Gramma? (This is the most coveted place.) Then: What about Uncle Dan? Whadda we do with Papa Mike? And so on. Frenzied negotiations ensue. Important stuff. Sometimes bitterly fought over. And protested. As adults we long for the days when our biggest stressors were these kinda things.

Megan and I were discussing lucky numbers. I told her mine is eleven, because Papa Swede was in the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 11th Armored Division. Megan didn't understand any of that. I said, "What's your lucky number?" She said, "One thousand!" I said, "Oh, wow, I guess we can fit that on a jersey." I think preschoolers drop big numbers like adults do big names. Megan: "I have like fifty hundred stickers." Daddy: "Oh yeah, well Steve Jobs called Papa Mike one time."

In church Michael leaned over and said to me, "Did you know that in a black hole, there's no time?"

I said to Michael, "Did you know if you turn off a lamp, there's no light?" Just kidding. (Nice little hint at "The Breakfast Club" there.) I never poke fun at Michael's enthusiasm for amazing things. It's awesome. He has an awesome brain!

Earlier Michael told me, "Did you know that Americans eat enough pizza every year to cover New York City... twice." He gets these cool facts from his National Geographic Kids magazines.

Megan has fun facts of her own. She told me, "Daddy, it takes 9 hours to fly to Hawaii, did you know that? You have to fly, and it takes 9 hours!" (Megan's teacher went to Hawaii.) Or a couple days ago when we were driving Meg said, "Did you know there are trucks full of pigs, and when you drive by them you can see their snouts! They all stick out! And pigs make bacon, did you know that?"

Megan has had some deep thoughts lately about the 'Jesus world'. This is synonymous with earthly death for her; you die and go to 'Jesus world'. Cool. I dig it. I agree. She's in CCD or 'church school' on Sundays, plus she goes to a Lutheran preschool. And we pray and so on... I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Megan will say, "In the Jesus world we could see Belle!" Or, when Mommy threatens to take Pokemon cards away for bad behavior, and she makes it clear they are gone 'for good', the kids will never get them back, Meggie might say, "What about in the Jesus world?" While looking up into the night sky Megan asked Mommy, "So after all that space and moons and stuff, it's pretty much all Jesus world, right?"