I want to know EVERYTHING!

Urban and I are a lot alike in many ways.  My husband might argue that we are alike in some of the most annoying ways, but I like to think they make us charming.  One of the things my oldest and I definitely have in common is our insatiable appetite for learning new things.

Urban can’t get enough information fast enough.  Ever.  He must understand and define every word, concept and object he runs into.  He is not only inquisitive, but also quick to educate you if you look interested.  And sometimes, even if you don’t…  (I got a lovely lesson on midges the other day as I picked him up from his nature center class.  He was adamant they won’t hurt you.  Good to know.)

That night, as I was helping him into his pajamas, I was chattering to him about something – I honestly can’t remember now what it was; my chatter gets a bit mindless after 8PM – and I said the word spank.  Usually, these days, when I say a word he doesn’t understand it has 3 or more syllables and a Latin root, so it just didn’t cross my mind that this little word would turn into a big lesson for both of us.

He looked at me with his enormous blue eyes and held up his hand for me to stop.  “Mama, what’s a spank?”

It caught me off guard.  I just looked at him, thinking back to the 70s, when I was his age, and there wasn’t a child in the world who would ask that question.  Everyone knew what a “spank” was.  My parents didn’t spank me, but I certainly knew what it was, well enough to know to avoid at all costs.   In my simple mommy-mind, I decided maybe I could salvage his innocence, so I answered, “You don’t know what spanking is, but maybe it’s better that way.  You don’t really want to know.”

Wrong.

His eyes filled with tears and he yelled, “I DO want to know!  I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING!”

Yep.  He sure does.  My mistake.

So, I told him.  I told him sometimes some mommies and daddies use spanking as a punishment instead of timeouts.  That it’s hitting when someone has done something naughty. 

To which he responded, “It’s not OK to hit.”

“You’re right.  It’s not, and that’s why your mommy and daddy made the decision not to spank.”  Thinking to myself that some days it is a very difficult proposition.

“What do they spank with?  Their hands?”

“Sometimes, and sometimes belts or spoons or something.  But you don’t have to worry about it, because your mommy and daddy don’t spank.”

“Right.  I’m glad of that, Mama.  I don’t think I would like that very much.”

“No, probably not.  But you don’t like time outs very much either.”

“No.  I don’t like time outs, but at least they don’t hurt.”

“True.  Should we brush teeth now?”

“Yes.  Thank you for not spanking me.”

“Um, you’re welcome.  Thank you for being so awesome.”

“You’re welcome.”  He grinned.