If you're not having meal times together you're probably missing out on conversational brilliance such as this:Spencer: "Dad?"
Andrew: "Hmm?"
"Would you rather be chased by grizzly bears or by Nazis?"
A pause passed over the mashed potatoes as we all contemplated this conundrum.
"Well son, I guess I'd have to say Nazis."
Spencer took a bite and said thoughtfully, "Yea, I think you're right."
David then perked up and said, "Yea, because if you're being chased by bears they're going to catch you--there's nothing you can do. Maybe you could run somewhere to get away . . . " He paused for a second. "Are you talking about being in a city or in the woods by yourself? Because if you're just out in the middle of things they're going to eat you. That's it."
A mutter of agreement went up from around the table as we nodded our heads and pictured bears chasing us through Alaskan forests.
Grace then said, "I mean if it were just Nazis--they're really nasty and all but maybe you could outrun them and then you could do some serpentine moves and they probably couldn't hit you--they'd have guns but guns aren't necessarily accurate." She thought for a minute then asked, "Did they have automatic weapons back in World War II? That would make a difference."
No one had an answer for her as we turned our thoughts to dessert but she was right. I think I'd take the Nazis.
Yea, we're a family of deep thinkers.
And if you don't believe me here are some other odd conversations (just for old times' sake):
* A Startling Revelation, Capice?
* What Pirates Say When They're Alone
* Deep Thoughts
* Deep Thoughts on Osama and Other Tidbits
* Cain's At It Again
* Something She Didn't Know
Technorati tags: motherhood, parenting, family
38 comments:
Very profound conversations going on over there =)
I love kid logic.
Meal time conversational brilliants. This makes me smile. lol
I loved the question and discussion.
One time on a loooonnggg car trip the kids and I played a game along those lines "would you rather....." (stuff like fall off a bridge or fall off a mountain, be eaten by a wolf or eaten by a snake).
It's interesting to hear what goes on in the minds of kids...
After reading a couple of books on Alaska - I too would have to go with the Nazis and hope they'd get eaten by a grizzly while chasing me.
haha..I love this post :)
Man. Nazis? Seriously?
I WILL be having nightmares tonight!
But for the record, I think I'd go with the grizzlies. At least they'd make fast work of me if they caught me.
What a discussion!
Gotta love kids. Too cute! Hmmmm...hard question. I think I might take the grizzly bear! See that way I could at least see one up close and personal. I don't care if I ever see a Nazi!
Hmmm. If I were in a city I'd definitely rather be chased by grizzlies, because they'd be distracted by all the other people
The Nazi would be interested in getting me specifically, but the Grizzly would be interested in lunch specifically, which could be anyone.
The woods, well, I guess I'd take the Nazis.
Oh, wait, that wasn't a question you were seriously asking us, I suppose. Oh well. My answer still stands. =)
I asked my husband this question after reading your post. Here are his thoughts:
"If I have a weapon, and the grizzly has been eating well (not garbage or excessive amounts of rotting fish) of course the grizzly, because, hey, self defense AND food for the winter. But if I don't have a weapon, Nazis. Totally Nazis."
We share in your profundity. :-)
Wow! Mealtime sounds much more interesting in your house than mine ;) Thanks for the laugh!
THis is a tough one. I agree with FriedOkra...at least a grizzly would end it quickly for me. But then, with Nazi's, there's a chance you'll make it out alive. This is a question for my husband, who is both a hunter (though not of grizzlies) and a WW2 historian. :)
awesome, I LOVE this conversation! Kids are so great.
Indeed a Very good and deep question. Well at least Grizzlies are beautiful to look at (from a far). What Majestic beings. I cannot say the same for Nazis!
And I am not sure whom I would want to be chased by either.
I was once in Denali and on the same course as Mama bears, Aka GOLDIE LOCKS, and her three cubs. Though they were NOT chasing, they somehow kept making the same turns we (our hiking group) were making. THAT WAS THE scariest moment of my life. I have my then 11 year old with us, and I was soo scared for her, I wasn't sure HOW to protect her. Luckily we escaped with no problems (after, no joking, three hours of hiking with the four bears on our heels)!!
I love EDI's answer!
ha ha! Smart kids! Can I come live at your house?
What a brilliant discussion. We usually end up arguing about my 4 year old eating her veg, which is actually quite dull compared with your Nazis v Grizzlies debate.
Ha! It's so fun to see what goes on in their little minds. I'd definitely prefer Nazis too.
When we are in the midst of our own "deep thinking" conversations (the latest being whether or not Adam and Eve had belly buttons) I'm quite surprised by the reasoning my children use to back some of their answers.
Never a dull moment!
I would have to go with the Grizzlies. The Nazis are nastier. Which is saying something.
Brilliant conversation, kiddos. (And the re-telling isn't bad either. I loved the line, "A mutter of agreement went up from around the table as we nodded our heads and pictured bears chasing us through Alaskan forests.")
Ha! So funny! I need to pay closer attention to what my kids are talking about...less about if they're eating their peas. Thanks for sharing :)
-Daiquiri @ Call Her Blessed
edj--brilliant, now why didn't we come up with that?
Megan--so sorry to enlighten you on this unpleasant fact but actually grizzlies don't kill the way lions or tigers do, going for the neck, they are trained to eat the most nutritious parts of the animal first--i.e. YOUR GUTS--so you're pretty well alive while they eat you. Not pleasant. Your only hope is that the bears hate right-wing fascism as much as the rest of us I think.
And Babystepper--I'm a little shocked. So you're basically saying that you'd use the rest of us as bait while you escaped? Not quite that Southern hospitality I've heard about :)
Coralie--maybe you could wrestle the Nazis away from their guns, thus fulfilling your requirement of a weapon. Could happen.
I'd go for the Nazi, and hope I could out run/kill him.
After watching that movie about that guy who lived around grizzlies, and then both he and his girlfriend where slowly eaten by one (what was that called?)- no way would I want that.
So great that you record these conversation gems. Kids are so clever in their thinking. But really, I woke up thinking about that cute baby picture and had to come look at it again. That is one beautiful baby girl! Great genes, Mom and Dad!
I don't know...a question like this needs some serious consideration. How many Nazis are we talking about?
Two or three? Or twenty. Because if there are a lot...even with innacurate guns, you could still get shot.
Also...what time of year would it be. That can be a big factor too.
LOL!
Hmm, Nazis or bears. In light of the grizzly tradition of eating guts first, I will have to go with the Nazi.
Please pass the menudo.
I'm having one of those Mastercard moments...
"Ingredients for dinner: $10. Special dessert: $4. Listening to the Grizzlies vs. Nazi debate: priceless."
Thanks for sharing! :0)
Nothing aids digestion like conversations about Nazis, Grizzlies and death!
Is it still one bear per one square mile?
Nazis are scary, but yeah, Grizzlies are scarier. Now, if the Grizzly had just been gorging itself in a stream of running salmon, would that change things? Probably wouldn't be chasing you then...and if the Nazis were gorging themselves in the stream?
Hmmm. Sounds like I could add to this conversation of yours. What time is dinner?
If you were being chased by Nazis, perhaps you could burst into 'Do, a dear, a fe-male dear" and then they would join in the singing and all would be well.
Perhaps - perhaps - that would work with the grizzlies too.
It's worth a shot.
I've got to start writing down some of dinner time conversations!
All of those discussions are hilarious. I don't have kids yet—just a 4-year-old niece—but some of the things that come out of her mouth crack me up. I can't wait to have my own so at least I'll be entertained while I want to strangle them.
I have to say, perhaps it is my lack of true knowledge about bears, but I'm inclined to say I would rather be chased by bears than Nazis. I'll have to give this more thought. In fact, I'll bring it up at dinner tonight. Of course, my kids don't yet know who the Nazis are, so the question will only be posed to my husband.
Amazing what those little minds conjure up isn't it?? Too cute and I love that the rest of the family jumped right in and joined the conversation like it was chatting about the weather!
that's great.
Your right .. family dinners are a must ...
Ah...but it is in these mundane conversations that we build amazing family bonds.
We've had very similar conversations around here especially now that we live in bear country. Interesting things kids think up, huh? Where did the nazi thing come from?
i had to respond. after i read your post, i asked the question at dinner and we had quite a lively discussion. so let spencer know that he gave us our topic of conversation for the night. and the answer on our part were 6 for the nazis/1 for the bear. (my hubby's from haines, ak and gave everyone the lowdown on bears. my brother is stubborn and didn't want to give in to the logic.)
Goodness, I can't wait until my son is a bit older (he's only 19 months currently) so I can enjoy that sort of conversation. :)
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