I think that one of the dangers of being an adult is that we forget what it’s like to be a child. All of our logic and teachings and understanding of the world have influenced our views. It’s more difficult to reach that place of innocence and wonder. The ability to experience the world through my own child’s eyes is a wonderful thing. We have had some spectacular misunderstandings.
One of the fun things about this younger generation is how commonplace cell phones and tablets are. My son knows that when a phone dies, you have to recharge its batteries. At some point, he concluded that humans have percentages the same way. Sound logic. But one day, when I got up after very little sleep, I told him that I was at one percent. He started desperately dragging me back to bed and telling my husband that I needed to get more sleep so I didn’t die.
Another day we were all going to a pathfinder game together, but I dropped out of the game because I hadn’t slept and needed to go to work later. So my son stayed home with me, and I asked him to protect the house from Kobolds while I slept. (We usually ask him to protect the house from dragons, but we had spent the whole weekend talking about kobolds because my husband was super excited about getting to play a kobold that day). I got up a few minutes later, because I had forgotten something, and found my son standing outside my door wringing his hands. I asked him what was wrong and he looked up at me and asked, “Do kobolds die people?”
It was terribly sweet and heartwrenching. I quickly assured him that they just make it difficult for people to sleep, and then asked you could make traps for them. So he set up traps at the doors to my bedroom.
I have the sweetest, most thoughtful child a mother could ask for. I only hope that he knows how much I love and appreciate him.