CAN I GO BACK INSIDE?

Melissa is having a meaningful conversation with her wide-eyed three-year-old who has just asked her where she came from. Melissa explains that she grew inside her belly for nine months. "But how did I come out of your belly?" she asks. Melissa continues to share the story of her birth by explaining that she couldn't come out the normal way (from between Mommy's legs) so the doctors "reached in and took you out of my belly." Enthralled by the prospect of going on a ride inside her mom's body, her daughter points to Melissa's stomach and exclaims, "Can I go back inside? I want to do it again!"

THE FACTORY

This weekend my daughter was in question mode. While eating a hamburger she inspected it, and then asked? "Mommy, where do burgers come from?" "That's easy, from a cow," I respond. Then we were out apple picking and following our 45 minute walk through the orchards where we picked some pretty lame fruit because the crowds had beaten us to the great produce, my daughter asked: "Mommy, which came first, the apple or the apple tree?" You try to answer that one...it's kind of hard to figure out. Then, following our apple picking extravaganza, we headed to a diner, where my daughter, who was enjoying her spaghetti slathered in butter sauce, peered over at my son's hot dog and asks me her inquisitive question of the day: "Mommy, where do frankfurters come from?" I give her a look, figuring she already knew the answer and reply, "Come on, it's the same place that hamburgers come from." "A factory?" Technically yes, but jeez, whatever happened to easy questions anyway!

BE KIND...REWIND!

You know your kid has been watching way too many videos when you're out with him in a restaurant, he breaks into a song from his favorite movie (still the "Wizard of Oz" of course), finishes the tune and then says "Wait, I'm going to rewind and start all over again." Since there's no video player in sight, he does the next best thing. Purses his lips together, jiggles them back and forth, makes a whirring noise, and voila...he's ready to start from the top..."I could while away the hours..."