Xena's chronicles
The Sweaty Sun
“So where has the sun gone mama? ” She tilts her seat a notch lower to get a better view of the sky as she shoots me the question.
“It’s tired, just like you and I. So, it has called it a day.”
I answer her, making my rejoinder as fun as her teacher in kindergarten would, but at the same time not leaving thesaurus behind.
“Called what a day?” She asks, confusion written all over her face in bold red.
“The sun has called it a day meaning, it is done for the day and gone home to sleep.”
“I don’t think so.” She retorts.
Suddenly, I feel fuzzy like I have just taken down a shot of Tequila. I can tell this girl is about to outsmart me and I don’t like where this convo is going. It’s 8.00pm and we are driving past the roundabout on Ngong Road, just after The Hub. It’s been three hours of shopping, half of it spent queuing. I am knackered, but she is still her usual burst of energy.
I slow down over a bump and take the time to peep outside, just in case the sun is still shining. The sky is lit alright, but a 3/4 moon rules the sky.
“But Xena, that’s the moon.”
“I know.” She cuts back. “The sun is brighter and you can’t look at it for too long.”
I love how firm she gets with her answers, especially when she knows something for a fact.
“Good one Xena!” I lift my left hand off the steering wheel to high-five her, impressed with her answer.
“So, tell me, oh wise Xena. If the sun has not gone to sleep, where is it?”
At this point, I am wishing I was home, showered and with a bucket of popcorn as I await her narrative to unfold.
“The sun is taking a bath.” She says rather nonchalantly.
“Sorry?”
“The sun is taking a bath mama. You know like showering?”
“Oh wow. And how do you know that, madam?”
“Because it is full of sweat. It needs to have a bath and then it can go to sleep, fresh.”
Suddenly, I start to question my science thanks to a five-year old challenging my theory with one that she is willing to defend to the end! I am overwhelmingly delusional.
“Why would you think the sun is full of sweat? Who told you that?” I say to her as the car hurtles under the over pass only to see heavy traffic unfolding a few metres away. I slow down.
“Are you asking me a rhetorical question mama?”
“I promise I have no idea where the sun sleeps, whether it showered and why it does that. You are teaching me all that now. So please, tell me why you think the sun is full of sweat.
“Because it “gives” us sweat it must have a lot of sweat inside it. It cannot go to sleep smelling of sweat, because its mummy will be mad.”
I am totally blown away by her reasoning. It goes without saying that a candle will only burn you if the flame is on, so naturally, the sun causes us to sweat because it is a stinky ball of sweat!
If you have been struggling to think outside the box, you just need to pay attention to your toddler’s way of reasoning.
*Bomber Jackets and pants from mykidscouture.com
[…] When she comes across “How 8-4-4 came to bite me” and “It’s ok to be selfish” or “The Sweaty Sun”, I bet she will be exhilarated to know that she was always an intelligent kid, always […]
Hahaha reminds me the questions I was asked by her the day I told her that we can’t bask anymore cz the sun had set! Her reasoning is on point!
Hahahaha!!! What did she ask btw?
Where is this place? Looks child friendly…though looks can be deceiving..? And you went shopping just with the two of them? You’re a super mama! ?
Lol No!! Xia would kill me with her neediness if I was stuck in a supermarket for three hours with her! The photos are from a different day. We had gone for lunch at some place in Karen called Makutano Grill. The ambience is great (outdoorsy) but not exactly child friendly given that there’s no play area for kids. BTW, thanks to your grand idea I dropped the kids to their grandfolks over the weekend for a week. Let the honeymoon begin!!
Haha hahaha
And that is when you realise your entire life has been a lie??
True, we can only give what we have. ??
Kids can teach us so much if we listen carefully 🙂
Xena’s reasoning is to die for. For her age, the conversations are intriguing and vocabulary is good. when she starts writing compositions please share them.
I really I can’t wait to hear how mine will reason, though scared they might just be as goofy as I am.
Goofy is good hehe! There’s enough nerds in the world hehe