Who Begat Who?

For Richmond, the process of understanding all of the pieces of our extended family and how we fit together began as soon as he could talk. A few thousand questions later, I think he is beginning to understand that there was life before him. (Of course, this fits into the "it's all about me" perception of himself that began at about 6 months. I think this is fairly normal for most children - ending at or around 25.) Having attended two family weddings in the last month, the questions regarding family, and even marriage, have been coming faster than the speed of light. I wanted to document some of my favorites (not necessarily in chronological order)......

*"Mommy, does Miss Heather want to have a baby and a house......is that why she has to marry Mr. Paul?"

*"Who came out of Grandmommy's tummy?" He proceeded by asking this question about every female in the family. Lately he has identified several people as, "You know her (or him) Mommy, the one that came out of Grandmommy's (Aunt Laura's, Nana's, etc) tummy."

*"Mommy, who will take care of Elizabeth when Aunt Laura's baby comes out of her tummy?" To which I replied, "Aunt Laura." He then responded, "Well, then.....who will take care of Uncle Tate?" Such a classic!

*"Who was my big brother when I was Knox's age?" When I tried to explain that he didn't have a big brother because he was first, he wasn't having it. After a lot of whining, I told him that his big brother was Jesse, our dog. This made him chuckle and reply, "Oh Mommy, Jesse is a dog - he's not a brother." This makes so much more sense than the concept that there was a human being big brother that has mysteriously vanished!

*In response to an anticipated visit by my parents....."I can't wait to see Papa and Nana." He then turns to me with a sad look and says, "Awww....don't you miss your Daddy? Why don't you live with him anymore?"

*"Hey Mom, when I get married, I'm gonna live here in this house with you. Whatta you think about that, um?" To myself I was thinking, "It depends on who you marry?"

*On a recent trip to visit my sister, Marcy, and her family, we were delayed by a short traffic jam. Richmond asks, "Are all these people going to visit their Aunt Marcies?" He also asked his Dad and me, "Did you have Aunt Marcies when you were my age?"

*"Was I the ring bearer at you and Daddy's wedding?" Upon hearing the news that he was not yet with us at that point, he replied laughingly, "Yes, of course I was. Actually, it was Knox that wasn't born yet."

*"Mommy, who is that man that Aunt Laura lives with? You know the one....he has lots of hair, he reads books, and watches a lot of T.V.?" I reply, "Uncle Tate." With great joy and excitement that I answered correctly, he says, "That's right, Mommy! Way to go!" I guess with all of the quizzing that he receives on who belongs with who, he wanted to turn the tables and test my knowledge of the family tree!

*In response to a litter of kittens born to the cat of a neighbor, "Did those little kitties' mommy and daddy get married? Did we go to their wedding?" Now.....dogs can't be big brothers, but cats can have a wedding?? Go figure!

And the latest question that keeps being repeated on a daily basis, "Mommy, when is a sister gonna come out of your tummy?" My response is usually the classic, "We'll see, Honey. I'm not sure what God's plan is for a sister." Depending on the day, my thought to myself is usually "When Hell freezes over!"

I think I shall truly miss the day that he fully understands who begat who......