At least I know where I stand

From time to time, I like to ask some of my younger children paradoxical, soul-searching questions (since they aren't supposed to be able to think abstractly). For example, "who do you like best, your grandma or your grandpa?" (I love those ethical choice books where they give you dilemmas no one would ever be comfortable deciding). My kids never answer the questions by choosing one or the other; instead, they say, "Dad, I like grandma AND grandpa." I guess it is partly a way to joke around with them and partly a way to help them begin thinking a little bit about complex things.

So tonight, while we were driving to the grocery store, I asked my 7 year old son the following: "If everyone on the earth was going to die except for you and one other person, and you got to decide who the other person would be, who would you choose?" I could see the wheels spinning as he thought about it. Pleased I had stumped him, I grinned as he sincerely said, "Dad, I couldn't choose just one person." I knew what that meant: he would want to keep both me AND his mother alive, and maybe one or two of his siblings (a very different answer than what my oldest teenage son would give, by the way).

I gave him a little leeway. "OK, what if you could keep more than one person, like maybe 5 or 10 people?" His face lit up; he had enough room now for most of the important people in his life. "Oh, I know. Alright, I would choose Santa, the Easter Bunny, and all of the people on the Mayflower."

Maybe the first two were a little self-serving. But the folks on the Mayflower--that was purely altruistic. :)

I didn't have the heart to tell him the unfortunate news about any of his choices.