Bedtime talk

What do you want to talk about tonight, Owen?

Mom, how many places did you live when you were little?

Well, I was born in the city where Nunu lives now.  When I was 8, I moved to Ohio.  Then I lived across the ocean on the other half of the world in South Africa til I was about 13.  Then I lived in Illinois...

Did you have your birthday on the airplane??  How does someone celebrate their birthday on the airplane?

Nope, they probably have cake after they get home.

Well, my BEST party was my pirate party when I was 5.  My 4 year old party was pretty fun too.  My 3 year old party was at the hospital when grandpa was sick, and I don't remember my 2 year old party.  My 3 year old party wasn't really a fancy one because it didn't have friends I guess.

But your 3 year old party was a really special one because you got to share it with Grandpa, and that was the last birthday party he ever got to see while he lived here on earth.

Yeah, my birthday party was the last time I EVER saw him.  EVER.

Well, you did see him a couple times after that, but you probably don't remember.  He loved seeing you have a birthday as one of the last things he got to do.

Why did his body die?

He had a disease called cancer.

What's cancer?

Well, your whole body is made up of teeny, tiny, so small you can't see them little things called cells.  Cells are teeny tiny little bags of water, protein, salt and fat...

I don't have cells!  See my arms are SUPER skinny.  I'm not fat at all!

No...even if you're not fat, you still have fat in your body in your cells!

Well, I am skinny, look at my tummy!

That's because you exercise a lot and eat healthy food!  Anybody can get fat when they start eating too much junk food and not exercising a lot.  But you know, different people have different bodies.  Some people eat tons of food and they are always skinny.  Some people eat a little food and it's easy to get fat.  So don't forget that even though you like being skinny and it's good to be healthy, we are kind to people with all kinds of bodies, and don't talk about other people's bodies all the time.  It's not the only thing to think about. [Considering future relations with brother who has a vastly different body type and is already sensitive to being compared to his brother, by his brother :}]

What else is there to think about?

Well, let's see...don't smoke!  There is nothing good, not at all, about smoking.  Just walk away if someone ever tries to get you to smoke.  Just say, 'No thanks!'

But Mom!  Santa smokes!  Why does Santa smoke???

Oh.  Hmm.  Does he?  Oh yeah, I guess sometimes there are pictures of Santa with a pipe, huh?  Well, a long time ago people used to not know that smoking isn't healthy.  Now everybody has learned about that, and I bet Santa doesn't smoke as much anymore since he found out how bad it is for him.

MOM.  What would happen if Santa keeps smoking and he DIES?  What about that?  Wait.  How does Santa live forEVER?  How does he DO that???  Was Santa ever a little boy?

Owen, you are asking questions I don't think I can answer.  I bet you'll figure out the answers someday.  But now it's bedtime...
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And this is exactly how one moves from places one grew up to St. Nickology in a matter of minutes.