Bedtime Conversations with Everett

Sometimes some of the best conversations I have with Everett are when I am tucking him in bed. For as long as he was old enough to talk, our nightly ritual has ended with me asking him what his favorite part of the day was. Sometimes his answers are surprising.

Tonight, as I was walking out the door, Everett sat up and said, "Mom, when I get bigger I want to be married, like you married Papa."

"Why do you want to get married?" I asked

"Because. I want to marry a little girl and grow up and be a mom. And that little girl will be the dad."

I walked back over to Everett's bed and sat next to him.

"Everett," I laughed, "Only girls can be Moms, and boys get to be Dads. When you grow up you can be a Dad. And it will be so fun."

Everett grinned and laughed gleefully at his mistake. "That's true!!!" he exclaimed, as he smacked himself on the forehead and fell back onto his pillow.

Then he sat up again. "I want to be a mom, just like you." For some reason, he sounded disappointed.

"Everett, I'm sorry, but you get to be a Dad. Like Papa. That will be so much fun. If you were a dad, what would you like to do with your kids?"

Everett didn't answer. He looked at me and said stubbornly, "I want to be a mom."

"I'm sorry, Everett, but only girls can grow up to be moms. Boys grow up to be dads."

He just frowned at me.

Suddenly I had a great idea. "Everett, remember your Grandpas? Wouldn't it be fun to be a grandpa? When you are older you can be a dad, and after that when you are much older, you will get to be a Grandpa!"

Everett giggled. "Yeah!" He thought for a minute. "And I will have no hair!"