Tuesday, March 07, 2006

A most unusual question...

Lauren's questions are getting better and better. It seems like just yesterday we were dealing with Worship Jamz and which princess was better. That is SO YESTERDAY! We have moved on to far more complex questions.

Today, Lauren came into the kitchen while I was doing the dishes and said "Mom, I have a very unusual question." I was prepared for her to ask "why are you doing the dishes before they smell really bad?" because, lets face it, that is what often gives me that extra push. Instead I got "how do mermaids and mermen go to the bathroom?" She has apparently been thinking about it for awhile because she had a few theory's. Her favorite was that the #1 and #2 get trapped in the tail and stay there till they empty it, but she was perplexed as to how they pull their tail down. Serious 5 year old stuff.

After a few minutes of stumbling around an answer, I told her I would look it up on the computer and tell her later. She has asked me 32 times if I have found the answer yet. I am not sure if I should make up something and risk the "you lied to me" conversation later or if I should just be honest and tell her the truth. That mermaids sit on the potty and mermen, stand up, but they often miss.

P.S. This is Ariel at the Disney Princess lunch a few year ago. Doesn't her costume look totally chintzy? Seriously Disney...make a better Ariel tail then I could buy at a craft store!! Sheesh.

10 comments:

Lorien said...

the belly button is an option...seriously, that's kinda where it is on fish...kinda gross, though. hmmmm. gonna hafta think about this one. Kudos to Lauren. Most unusual! And deep. (pun intended)

Bek said...

Lorien,

What is it w/ our kids and pee this month? Eh?

BTW. She would never buy the belly button thing. The top half is human and the bottom half is fish. It would have to have something to do with the fish half. She already told me.

Lyle said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lyle said...

Sorry I need to proofread my responses better.

Bek- I will say that the fact merfolk are supposed to be half human does complicate the answer, especially when you consider that for a fish, #1 and #2 come out the same hole at the same time...the distinction between 1& 2 is lost.

The fact that merfolk are half human, begs for a sense of modesty and clear distinction between the sexes.

Hey if you field this one and succeed, imagine how well you'll do when she asks about the birds and the bees

Carina said...

Ok, there's an opening in the scales that you can't see (it lies flush against the other scales.) It all comes out of there, but since that part is fish, it comes out in a long string.

Easy. Anymore?

(Can you tell I was raised in a home where my father regularly lied to us?)

Bek said...

Thanks Carina, that is a good answer. I was mostly impressed with the question. She also regularly wants me to guess what she will look like when she is resurrected and also wants a better answer as to WHY humans can't fly. Oh, and your son is SO going to reject the academic world and do something that involves adrenaline and cameras. :-) Shirley Temple Black ended up as an ambassador twice, so maybe their is hope for both of you!! :-) LOVED the video.

Lyle. Bird and the Bees--we have already had that one. In fact, she enjoys talking about it so much, I am thinking of renting her out to other parents for their kids!

Lorien said...

ahh. yes, yes, of course. The belly button answer would never hold...water... agh. another pun. sorry.

Answers from our house:

3 year old: Like a donkey.
5 year old: They just pull down their tail.
8 year old: They pick a hole in the bottom of their fin and it comes out?
10 year old: There's no such things as mermaids.

I think Carina's works physiologically. Nice answer. If there were mermaids, that would definitely be how it worked.

My 8-year-old is a lot like your daughter, I think. Thinks hard about stuff and smart as a lick. But she kind of weirded out when I told her she already has eggs in her.

dalene said...

What??? There are no mermaids? Next you're going to try to tell me the unicorns have all died off too.

La Yen said...

I still lie to all kids. It is just easier. They know that you never come to me or W if they want an actual answer. I am with Carina there. I would tell her that they have a zipper in the back of their tail--just like Ariel at Disneyland.

C. Jane Kendrick said...

You could be very Socratic about it and say "I know you know that answer! YOU tell ME!"