Wasted Knowledge

So we were in the car the other day, and our conversation meandered onto the subject of...well...poop. Don't look so surprised, it happens all the time in our family. There are really no subjects that are off limits. It's always been that way.

Anyway, Hubby was sharing a little TMI (too much information) about his recent trip to the public restroom, and Hillary started laughing. Hysterically.

And while I, too, often find him amusing, this wasn't really THAT funny.

But then she said, "Mom, do you remember..." laugh, wipe tears, try to breathe..."when I was little..." gasp, laugh again, hold tummy... "and I used to ask you...where poop came from?" dissolving again into giggles.

Of course I remembered. Hillary was an inquisitive child and always asking me questions about one thing or another. And I was the kind of mother who explained, in as much accurate detail as was age appropriate, every answer until she was satisfied.

"Remember how I asked you that, like, ALL the TIME?"

Yeah. Still not funny.

"And you finally got tired of it and said, 'Hillary, you KNOW where poop comes from. I've told you 10 times. Now I'm tired of explaining poop."

Umm. I don't remember that part, but ok, if she says so.

"Well, I did know where poop came from. But I just loved hearing you explain it."

What?

"You just sounded so....smart! And you knew EVERYTHING. I just loved hearing you explain things. So when I couldn't think of anything else to ask you, I would ask you about poop!"

Wow.

That explains a lot.

Like why my kids have asked me things I couldn't possibly know. And not easy stuff like 'why is the sky blue'. (It has to do with the way the light reflects off of particles in the air...) No my kids asked me 'Why did they name a boy's private part 'penis'?' or 'How do you say "the monkey is picking his nose" in Swahili' or 'Where does poop come from?'

But I don't mind, really. I kind of like it that my kids think I'm smart. I want them to know that its ok to know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff. As a child who went to the "gifted" program in elementary school, I got a lot of flack for always being the first to raise my hand, busting the curve on tests, and being the teacher's pet. I wasn't always sure it was cool to be smart. So if my children grow up thinking smart is wonderful, then I will not correct them.

Because even knowledge about waste is never...

um...wasted!