Sometimes it feels like Jack is just a living, breathing quiz show - testing our knowledge of basic concepts in the world around us. It's more challenging than you might think. Have you ever tried to answer a barage of "why" and "how" questions from a 2 year old without ending it in "because that's just how it is"?
Examples of our answers to his questions:
On Santa:
Mommy: Well, Santa goes to the good boys' and girls' houses. [Vision in my head of a Jewish child telling Jack that Santa didn't go to his house and Jack saying he must be a bad boy.] ...I mean, he goes to the houses of the girls and boys whose families celebrate Christmas... But there are lots of good boys and girls whose families celebrate other holidays...And someone else goes to their houses.
On wind chills:
Mommy: We can't play outside today because all the smart people say we have to go inside.
On car washes:
Daddy: Look Jack - it's just like when you take a bath. Lots of soap and water. [Jack's eyes are the size of saucers as the huge soft-cloth brushes come toward the car from all sides.] No, it's okay Bud. Those are just like...giant washclothes.
On taking other people's things from the curb:
Daddy: See, it's okay that we're taking this from Randy's yard because he put it on the curb. That means he wants someone else to take it. But we couldn't, like, just go into his house or backyard and take stuff because that would be wrong.
On batteries running out in his toys:
Daddy: That toy is tired. It needs sleep.
On why he has to pick up his toys:
Mommy: So Tugboat doesn't eat them.
Maybe "because that's just how it is" would be better.
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