My nine-year old son, Brandon, is one of the most interesting and witty kids that I have encountered. Sometimes, he says things while joking around with us that make my wife Pam and I double over in laughter. Other times, he is able to do this unintentionally. Over the past few weeks since his birthday (mid-December), he has had a few moments that I thought were worth documenting here.
The other day, Pam asked Brandon to help get some cereal for his little sister. He prepared the bowl, and Pam remarked, "That's great, Br.." when she was interrupted sharply by Brandon:
"Well, I know exactly how much a six-year old needs."
Pam mentioned to me that he sounded very much like Dwight Shrute from "The Office" when he said this. In other words, he said it in a very serious and focused manner, as if it were common knowledge.
Another humorous (or at least it is to me) new development makes it feel like the teenage years are closer than I sometimes realize.
When we ask him a question that he is not completely sure about, he quickly retorts, "Don't know, don't care." It looks much worse when I type it out, but he says it so nonchalantly that it is actually more funny than disrespectful. I am guessing he picked this up from TV or from a book.
Yesterday, when he got up in the morning, he asked me, "Is today Saturday?" I told him that it was, and he immediately launched into a celebration:
"Yes!! Oh, yeah! Yes! (singing) It's Saturday today!" Then, "Wait...(calmly, to himself)...Savor the moment. Savor the moment." While I can certainly relate to this last sentiment, it was hilarious coming from him.
Since we homeschool, I am not generally as surprised as I used to be when I hear something that my kids say that makes them sound like college professors speaking to each other. I learn more from my wife than I care to admit, as she is frankly a lot smarter than I am, at least in certain areas, especially the sciences.
My son is also quite literal sometimes. For example, Pam was teaching the kids about different birds from a rather extensive Animal Dictionary book that we have:
PAM: Look at this one. It's really pretty. He has green feathers on his head, and... 
BRANDON: Too bad he's made out of wood, though.
PAM: What?
BRANDON (smiling): It says it right there - "wood duck".
Pam absolutely lost it and started laughing.
BRANDON: Well, it says it right there on the page.
I got to join in the laughter, too, since I was working at home.
ME: How much wood would a wood duck duck if a wood duck could duck wood?
Welcome to the world of homeschooling, especially when your kids are geniuses. I have a feeling that we are in for a lot of laughs as the kids get older.
As always, thanks for reading!
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"How much wood...." will be floating around in my head for hours now. Not only will I be saying it (in my head, of course), but my fingers will be tapping it, my feet will be joining in, too.
It's so much fun to witness a parent enjoying their children. Thanks for sharing, Jason.
That last one was really a hoot! I have a 9-year-old life of the party too so I can only imagine. We get the biggest kick when she uses big words. We look at each other really dumbfounded and feel really dumb when she tells us what the words mean.
Jason:
That is funny stuff. Enjoy these years, they fly by. Talk with you soon.
How funny! As everyone has said, savor the moments. We have a 12.5 year old who now constantly makes us rack our brains trying to remember when he was cute and funny. We've now become the idiot parents who are too strict and have no idea what we are talking about most of the time - well, according to our son. Ahhhh when they were young and cute and funny.
~Renae - Market 4 Real!
LIBBY - Thanks for your nice comments. Yes, my wife has sacrificed quite a bit to provide a great education for our kids. I'm glad you liked this one!
NANCY - I guess I should apologize for putting that phrase in your mind. I hope you have a terrific week!
MARY - Thanks for the advice. I have written at least 20 posts about my kids so far - they make great blog fodder, in my opinion.
TONI - It sounds like you can definitely relate! Thanks for your comments.
DEB - You make an excellent point - I am probably the one who could use this advice about savoring the moment. Have a great week!
DAN - Yes, they are really hilarious sometimes. They are scary smart.
Jason... I am semi jealous because I love kids.... and as you know, I don't have any of my own. I just have to live vicariously through my sister's kids.... 4 of them with 2 on the way. But I can relate to much of what you talk about, because it's so hilarious to hear what comes out of my nieces and nephews mouths. It's just great watching kids growing up and how much older they seem than they really are at times. Thanks for sharing this...
DEBBIE - That's cool that you are fellow homeschoolers! In our case, I have a feeling that we can look forward to many years of big words around our house.
ALAN - They do seem to pass very quickly. Talk to you soon!
BILL - Kids are hilarious and interesting. It is amazing to me to watch how quickly they learn.
KATHY - Our almost-two-year old is very entertaining as well. Thanks for your comments on this one -
ROBERT - That is very cool. I don't know what the future holds for them, but I know that God has a great plan for their lives and I will be excited to see how it plays out.
MARTIN - You are probably joking, but I am game. My wife wants arranged marriages if possible.
JENNIFER - Let me get back to you on that. Actually, Paul seems to be a good son. He works with his dad and they seem to have a great relationship. It could be a lot worse, right?
RENAE - I realize that those years are coming soon enough. I am not looking forward to them.
DANNY - Glad that you liked it. As you said, parenting is the best job in the world.
JEFF - You can also live vicariously through my experiences if you like. Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
VIRGINIA - I have written quite a few posts about them (over 20 so far). I will continue!
MARIA - My wife is really the one who deserves the congratulations - she does the lion's share of the educating in our house. Thanks for your comments!
KATERINA - I agree - homeschooling is AWESOME! I feel so blessed to be able to experience these moments firsthand.
Very cute, Jason.......
Your kids must bring you a LOT of happiness........
That is part of what they are in our lives for, hmm?
=-)
Right there with you, I am lucky to have a smart wife (She married me so obviously she is smart) who does all the home schooling. I swear I learn something new everyday from my wife and kids, I can say this homeschooling that has been the best thing for me also.
Awesome Post Jason Brandon is a Gem and it's great you get to work from Home and enjoy these precious moments before they are grown :)
Sincerely,
Grace
MARCIA - That's just sort of how my mind works (extremely witty and at light speed). :-) But seriously, my son really is very much like I was at his age.
TODD - I think I am going to start writing more homeschooling posts soon. I can't say enough good things about it, at least for our family.
ADAM - I don't know that we are particularly tough, but I guess a break from any routine is a welcome one. I agree - Brandon is really funny.
GINGER - We are not really very strict, but they don't know what it's like to be in school for 7 hours daily. Homeschooling works well for us, but I realize that it is not a good fit for everyone.
GRACE - Thanks! I agree - it is a blessing to be able to witness this stuff firsthand.