There’s nothing like a conversation with a six-year-old to make you realize that you know nothing about the world.
Here’s a selection of the 100 questions that my nephew Jotham asked me over the weekend.
-
What are forks for?
-
Why are we allowed to play in sand, but we can’t play in mud?
-
Why do baby fish die?
-
Why is all grass green, but flowers are so many different colors?
-
What are cockroaches for?
-
Why are girls allowed to grow their hair and wear beads, but boys are forced to cut off theirs?
-
When I grow up, why can’t I marry Aunty Fiona? (Aunty Fiona’s my sister-in-law)
This is what his four-year-old brother Jeffrey answered.
-
Forks are for eating chips if your hands are dirty.
-
Me, I play in mud, but it makes mommy angry.
-
Baby fish die so that baby people can eat them.
-
God is the one who chooses the color of crayons for painting the flowers.
-
I hate cockroaches.
-
Uncle Paul has long hair and he’s not a girl.
-
Eeh, you boy. I said I wanted to marry Aunty Fiona before you. Eeh you boy, you can cheat!
I had a blast with the boys in Kalangala last weekend. When I think about them leaving next month, something inside me breaks.
