Friday, November 14, 2008

Would you rather be a Hershey Kiss or a Milky Way?

My middle son, age 10, is a budding philosopher. Yes, he ponders, he questions, he tries to make sense of things that just don't make sense. Isn't that the definition of a philosopher?

At the oddest times, he will blurt out a question for me to answer, such as, "Mom, if you had the choice between falling out of an airplane without a parachute or being eaten alive by flesh devouring bugs, which would you choose?" To which I usually say, "This is hypothetical, right?" Because how do you actually make a choice like that, anyway? The depth of his questions knows no bounds. During Mass he will lean over and whisper, "Hey Mom, if you had a choice between......" to which I answer, "shhhh, ask me later, ok?"

The really good questions happen right before we turn the lights out at bedtime. We say our prayers, I tuck him in, give him a hug and kiss and start to leave when I hear, "Mom, if you had a choice between having your arms torn off or your legs, which would you choose?" Ah, never an easy answer with this kid. I do wonder where he gets all these strange questions, what kind of thoughts are running in his mind for this to be what he is most wanting to ask. "Well," I say, "if I didn't have arms I couldn't hug you, so I guess it would have to be the legs. Definitely the legs."

He seems satisfied with that answer, so I leave it at that. Honestly, I hope I never find myself in any of the scenarios he asks me about, unless it was an easy one like whether I would rather be a lion or a tiger, or would I rather be a bullfrog? Oh wait, that's another story.

And just for the record, if I had to choose, I would pick falling out of an airplane without a parachute.

Because the bugs? They are a slow and painful death. Just in case you were wondering, that is.

2 comments:

Lesley said...

I would choose the airplane and the legs too. LOL Funny questions, but at least he's always thinking!

Emily said...

Funny… my family likes to pass the time on long road trips playing our own version of "Would You Rather". They come up with some crazy questions!