Failure in the morning, Failure in the Evening...Ain't We Got Fun!

Questions, questions, and more questions...and no obvious answers.  Last night, during the time I love/crave/adore/fear, my daughter came into our room looking to talk, as usual.  "Mom", she said as she crawled up onto the bed.  "I know I'm supposed to walk a mile in my brothers shoes, but his shoes are too big for me, so it's not going to work." 

"And", she said, like I should know what's coming next. "I have a sprained toe, so it's going to hurt too."

You've no idea, I said to myself as I cuddled her up.  No idea at all.  Outloud, I told her that it was just a saying, a way of getting people to think about how the other person feels.  'I don't have to think about how he feels about me", she said.  "He always tells me that I'm bugging him".

So, as it technically wasn't a question she asked, I fell back and told her that walking in his shoes could wait awhile, until she felt more up to it.  I would though, when she was older, make sure she read the book of stories edited by Charlotte Wood, Brothers & Sisters.

Cuddle, cuddle and off to bed she went.  Safe for another day, I fell asleep.

Then, this morning happened.  On the way to school (husband was up and willing, I should have let him take them--he would have had better answers).

"Mom," said boy in front seat.  "Are all prophecy's poems?"

"Ahhh"  (That's me hedging for time)

"Mom," said the girl in the back seat.  "Why don't you hear the word 'prophecy' used a lot?"

"I don't know why it's not used more, but you are right in that it's not used a lot." I said, honestly...the best I could do with her question.

"And," to son in front.  "I think a prophecy could be a poem if it were written that way, but not all prophecy's are poems.  Why do you ask?"  The old answer a question with a bad answer/question combination...I knew I had him on the ropes.

He turned to me, which was a bad sign as it connoted excited engagement.  "Ares..." (or at least I think he said this...Poseidon and Zeus were also mentioned at some point in his answer...as was the fact that this god was the god of poetry and prophecy's and/or had a lot of prophecy's about him.  And that in the Percy Jackson books, the gods liked Haiku "you know those are from Japan mom" because he/they always wrote in them how awesome they were and that it was a good thing that poetry could be used to make people feel better about themselves and then, when I was pretty sure he was winding down and I would not actually have to answer any more questions...

"Why isn't Poseidon king of the Gods?"

Technically, again, I can say that my answer was on topic as I'm sure that my answer had the phrase, "for the love of God" in it...after that, it was a blur.  Nothing tramatic must have happened to/for the kids as they bounced out of the car happily saying, "I love you Mom, you're the best.  Good answers" 

Okay, only the older son said that.  Younger daughter did what she always does which was grunt sarcastically at me and walk away.

Guess what?  Only 12 more hours until bedtime.  I want a martini...extra dirty, Kettle One, straight up.  Please?