Conversations with Levi

Sometimes I forget Levi is 5. I guess it's because he is the oldest. I know that isn't fair to him, so I'm working on it. However, other times I am amazed by the things he asks and wonder if that is normal for 5 year olds to think about. Take the following two conversations that he and I had this past week....

While putting Levi to bed he asked, "Mom, how do I know which girl to marry? There are so many of them." I proceeded to tell him that he needed to pray about it, find someone who he likes and who likes him back. I told him that the girl he marries should make him be a good, nice guy, and make him laugh. Of course, he should be friends with all girls, and when the time is right he'll know.

So then he started analyzing the girls his age that he knows. He narrowed it down to Isabelle, a girl in our ward. (Good choice Levi!) I told him that even if he picks now, his opinion might change and the girl won't always agree with him, or want to marry him. He thought about all that and then said, "Do girls turn out like their Mommies?" I said that yes, girls and kids usually become like their parents in how they act and do things. That isn't what he meant though. He wanted to know if they end up looking like their Moms. I said, "Grandma is my Mommy. Do I look like her?" He said "No". And then he went to bed.

Next conversation... I was holding him on the couch and he wanted to know "why do people get married two times". Oh brother! I first thought, I really don't want to have this conversation, but then I thought that I'd rather be the one to give him answers and it's good that he's talking to me. I told Levi that it's preferable that people only get married once, but sometimes it doesn't work out and they aren't good together. He said, "Is that what happened with my first Daddy?" I said, "Yes, we were too different and weren't happy together." He wanted to know WHY. I didn't think I should have the whole, honest conversation with him about this yet, and so I said, "We liked different things and made different decisions, and in marriage you have to work together and be honest with each other." Luckily, he then went off on a tangent wondering about when he gets to see Kyle and Annie, so we talked about that... but it made me wonder what is going through that little mind of his.

Have I ever mentioned it's hard to be a parent??? Well, it is. There is too much riding on how I do at teaching correct principles, habits, etc., to just sit back and let life happen. I can't be lazy or ignore things because I don't want my kids to learn from the wrong people. It's my job to be an example and teach them. It's exhausting! I'm sure you concur with this statement... it's just so hard!